


At All Costs

by TheScorchedEarth



Category: Pitch (TV 2016)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-13
Updated: 2017-01-17
Packaged: 2018-09-08 09:25:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 28,688
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8839267
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheScorchedEarth/pseuds/TheScorchedEarth
Summary: When Ginny is attacked in the clubhouse, Mike vows to protect her from a dangerous stalker





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first Pitch story and the first time I've written in years. I've been sucked in by this ship. I started writing this after 1x09 so I didn't take the crap of 1x10 into consideration. Noah and Rachel are non-romantic issues in my story.

It started out like any game day in San Diego. The Padres had an afternoon game, which meant the players were in the clubhouse early for BP. This afternoon was different, though, because the guys noticed the absence of Ginny Baker. 

Ginny was always one of the first in. She told Lawson that she had biology working against her and took her training seriously. The fact that she wasn’t in for BP had the clubhouse confused but they chalked it up to front office or coaching business. 

Mike Lawson was in a particularly foul mood this morning. He woke up and his left knee gave out as he got out of bed. The rest of the morning became a play of follies as everything went wrong. The pain was easing, but knowing that he was needed behind home plate today made him aware that the pain was going to come back in full force. Add that to the fact that Baker wasn’t there to run through batters and he was acting like a bear with a splinter in his paw. At least, that’s how Blip put it.

As game time approached, Mike noticed that players were starting to become antsy. He assumed it was because they were playing the Cubs who were defending their World Series title. It’s always tense in the clubhouse when the Padres played the big clubs. It made for a more intense game. It wasn’t until Sonny approached him that he realized why the atmosphere was so charged.

“Hey, Mike. You haven’t seen Ginny, have you? If she’s sick or on the DL I’m next in the rotation. I need to know if I need to go over batters with Livan”, Sonny said. This made Mike sit up a little straighter. He didn’t take into consideration that she might be injured. She was a machine. One that never breaks down. He would know if she was injured, right?

“I haven’t talked to her today, man. I’m sure she’s just in with Al or Oscar and will be here soon”. Mike didn’t look any more confident than he sounded. 

Sonny walked off muttering about rookie pitchers who need to put in the work. Mike started to chuckle because his rookie was no longer a rookie. It didn’t stop the guys from treating her like she was though.

As that thought filtered through his head his phone buzzed. Looking down at the screen he noticed a text from Amelia. They were back on speaking terms and were heading towards friends. Opening the message, he read the slight desperation in it.

A: “Have you seen Ginny? She missed a morning meeting with the Cover Girl executive.”

M: “Haven’t seen her this morning. Maybe she’s in a meeting with the big heads?”

A: “Not that I know of. She said she was going in for a workout then coming to the meeting this morning”

M: “As soon as I see her, I’ll have her contact you.”

A: “Thanks, Mike”

There was only 45 minutes before first pitch and Baker should be here by now. It wasn’t until Al came in that he went into full panic mode.

“Seriously, has anyone seen Baker? There’s late and there is whatever this is!” Al bellowed. Mike finally realized that something was seriously wrong. Whipping out his phone again, he called Ginny’s number.

Through the din of the clubhouse, he heard a faint sound of Katy Perry’s “Firework” running through the rooms. He teased her mercilessly about making it his ringtone after the ribbing he gave her about her off-key humming. Standing up, he yelled for the guys to be quiet. Once the clubhouse was silent, he called Ginny’s phone again. He noticed that the sound was coming from the direction of the training room. Getting up, Mike looked at Blip who stood with him. Continuing down the hall, Mike kept calling her phone. The sound got louder as they approached the door. Mike turned around to ask Blip a question and noticed that Sonny, Livan, Stubbs, and Salvamini had all followed them down the hall. 

A feeling of dread overtook the clubhouse as Mike pushed the door open. He was trying to convince himself that she just dropped her phone in the room before heading out to her meetings. 

Walking through the door and rounding the bank of treadmills, Mike knew that it was just wishful thinking.

A strong chorus of gasps rang out behind him and a very eloquent “Fuck” muttered from his mouth, Mike raced through the rest of the way screaming for a medic.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am...overwhelmed by the response to my first chapter. I had posted it and deleted it once before because I was too nervous. I'm glad you all liked it.

Mike was running at full speed as he was screaming for some form of medical help. There, in the corner of the training room, Ginny lay motionless on her stomach. He fell to his knees next to her prone form not caring that he would increase the pain he woke up with that morning. As he did so, his foot caught on a weight that had been lying near her

“Baker? Ginny? Gin, please?” he pleaded as he took in her injuries. All Mike wanted to do was turn her over to assess the damage but Blip seemed to have come out of his stupor to stop him.

“What are you doing? I need to see!” Mike spat out.

“You need to wait for the medical staff, man. You don’t know if she has a neck injury. If you turn her, you might do more damage”. On the outside, Blip sounded calm and rational. On the inside, however, he was in various states of freaking out. This was Ginny, his little sister, auntie to his boys, best friend to Evie. This couldn’t be happening.

Mike bolted into the hallway to find out why the medics were taking so long when they saw them racing down the corridor. He screamed at them to hurry. His mind was racing a mile a minute. All he could wrap his head around was the fact that Ginny had been down the hall hurt for hours and no one thought to check. Mike was overwhelmed with a sense of guilt. If only someone had thought to look for her earlier. How long had she been lying here alone and hurt? How could the entire team and staff not see her in here? 

In a flurry of activity, medics pushed their way through the training room taking in their surroundings. In the distance, the guys could hear Al on the phone with the police. Mike just stared in shock while the medical staff assessed Ginny. They were doing preliminary tests of limbs to make sure that nothing was broken. When they moved back her hair, they could see a large gash that was oozing blood on her forehead. Mike looked at the weight that he had just kicked and realized what it was used for. His anger was palpable in the room.

He was brought back to the present when he heard the medics counting down to get ready to turn her over. They had her in a neck collar for added support. On the count of three they turned her over and the full extent of the trauma was revealed. There were curses that erupted throughout the room. Mike could feel the anger radiating off Blip next to him. Ginny’s face was a map of bruises. The cut in her hairline was leaking blood down her cheekbone. As expected as it was, it was still a shock to see. 

Mike started running his eyes down the rest of her to see if there were any other injuries. With a tiny sigh of relief it looked like her pitching shoulder was still in tact. It seemed like it should be the least of their worries but he knew it would be the first thing she asked about when she finally woke up. His Ginny is nothing if not a ball player. His Ginny. Things might be a little more strained than they were before the near kiss but she’s his, even if she refuses to accept that.

Mike was continuing his assessment of Ginny’s injuries when he heard Blip next to him scream in rage. “Al, you need the police here immediately! Call them again if you have to!” It wasn’t until Mike followed his gaze that he saw it. There, pinned to her now dirty and bloody workout clothes, was a note. Mike’s blood ran cold as he read it. “YOU WILL ALWAYS BE MINE YOU WHORE” was scrawled out in big, sloppy, letters. 

The one thing that Mike had been grateful for over the last five month was that he and Ginny have found a new level of intimacy. It’s not the type that he wants, of course, but he’ll take what he can get while they are still teammates. That near kiss in front of Boardner’s Bar laid both of their feelings out to each other. Over the course of time, however, they’ve reluctantly put it on the back burner until they could figure out how to be both teammates and life mates. In the meantime, he and Ginny have become best friends. They talk every night. During one of those conversations she told him about the odd, random, messages that she’s been receiving. Mike worried about the fact that she had a rabid fan knew how to get around the vetters who ran through her tons of fan mail. Ginny played it off as nothing to worry about. “Not everyone has sinister motives, Old Man”, she had said. Now, staring at the note pinned to her, he knew. He knew he should have pushed her to tell Amelia. He knew he should have insisted on more security. He knew that he should have told the front office. He knew he should have protected her. 

Once again, he was overwhelmed with guilt. It drowned out everything around him. He could hear Blip and Livan talking rapidly behind him. He could hear the medics trying to relay to the ambulance exactly what was happening in the training room. He could hear the rest of the team murmuring their disbelief. Mike could do nothing but lean down, stroke Ginny’s hair, and tell her that she’s going to be ok. “I’ve got you Gin. You are going to be all right. I promise. I’m so sorry. I’m so, so sorry. I’m going to make sure they get this guy, Rook. I promise. I’m going to keep you safe”

Blip stared at his captain. He couldn’t believe that he was being so open about his feelings. He and Evelyn were the only two people that knew of the feelings expressed between the pitcher and catcher. Actually it was Evie who was able to wrangle the almost kiss from Ginny on a drunken girl’s night. The Sanders then sat Mike and Ginny down to hash out how it was going to work. Blip was sad that Ginny couldn’t have a life like every other ballplayer but both Mike and Ginny understood the risks. They decided to be as professional as possible but Blip could see their hold slipping. They wanted to be together. This incident might just be the catalyst that gets them there.

A small moan brought everyone back to the present. Mike sagged in relief as Ginny tried and failed to open her eyes. At least he was able to see she was coming around. He leaned down once again and whispered in her ear. “It’s ok, Gin. Open your eyes. Let me see you’re ok. Please, Ginny”, he pleaded. Unfortunately, Ginny slipped back into unconsciousness. 

Paramedics were pushing their way through the doors and the crowd separated to let them through. The whole team was now crowded in the hallway hoping to lend their support. The entire training room erupted into chaos as they loaded Ginny onto the gurney. Mike remained on an island of his own. He held onto Ginny’s hand so tight that he thought he might break it. When she was finally loaded and ready to go, the main EMT looked at Mike and asked if he was going to accompany them to the hospital. There was no regard for the game he was supposed to play. Ginny wasn’t safe and there was no way that he was letting her out of his sight now. He looked at Al who simply nodded. 

“Yes”

Blip grabbed him gently by the arm. “If she wakes up before I get there, tell her that Evie and I are on our way. I just texted her and she’s frantic. We’ll be there as soon as we can”. Mike simply nodded. He was sure that if he tried to say anything he was going to break down. With her hand still in his, the paramedics wheeled Ginny to the bus. It’s going to be the longest ride of his life.


	3. Chapter 3

It took the paramedics about 5 minutes before they realized that trying to move Mike Lawson was a useless task. At first they tried to get him to let go of their patient’s hand. When he only gripped it tighter, they knew that they would have to get creative when treating Ms. Baker. So that’s how they wound up in the position that they were currently. Mr. Lawson is off to the side while they take vitals and relay to the ER what to expect.

Mike can’t take his eyes off of Ginny. He’s not sure that there has ever been a time that he’s seen her so still. His girl is always a whirlwind of energy. It’s like she will shut down if she has to take a minute just to sit. To see her not moving makes his gut clench. Logically he knows that she’s still with him but he’ll be much happier when she wakes up.

The ambulance is weaving through traffic at breakneck speeds. Mike chuckles silently hearing Ginny’s voice in his head telling them to slow down. He’s had so many arguments with her when driving her around San Diego. “Dude, are you driving for NASCAR?” she would ask. He knows that it comes from the accident that took her dad from her. It’s one of the many reasons that she doesn’t drive herself. It’s also the reason that he started driving like the old man she nicknamed him when she’s in his car. There was no need to be unnecessarily fast when it comes to driving around precious cargo. 

It’s not until the ambulance hits a nasty bump that the first sounds erupt from Ginny. At first it’s a small groan. It’s like she’s waking up when she doesn’t want to (he’s not going to imagine that sound first thing in the morning). As soon as it escapes her mouth, Mike’s eyes snap to her face. He watches as she struggles to open her eyes. He watches as her breathing starts to become frantic. He watches as the paramedic tries to explain to her that she is in an ambulance and that she is on her way to the hospital. He watches as her eyes suddenly fly open and frantically look around her. He watches as it finally dawns on him that she is on the verge of a massive panic attack.

Knowing that she has attacks and seeing them are completely different things. He starts to feel helpless when he sees the rapid rise and fall of her chest and the way her eyes dart to different things in the bus without focusing on anything. Feeling helpless is not something that he’s comfortable with so he does the only thing that comes to mind. Mike leans down and starts to talk her through it.

“Hey, Gin. You’re OK. You’re safe now. Focus on my voice. Try breathing normally. Come on, sweetheart, you’re doing great.” As he speaks to her he starts smoothing down her hair. He needs to touch her to make sure that she was still with him. It takes a couple of seconds for her eyes to focus on him. As soon as she recognizes him tears fill her eyes. She tries to pull the oxygen mask off to talk to him but she can’t get her arms to function. It is when she realizes that she can’t move that she begins to panic again. Mike recognizes it and tries to calm her down. 

“Ginny, nothing’s broken. Nothing’s dislocated. You were hit on the head. Your brain probably can’t tell your arms to move. Don’t panic. It’ll go back to normal soon.” Mike shoots the paramedic a look that asks if he can remove her oxygen mask. With a nod from the EMT, Mike pulls the mask off Ginny’s face. Her eyes are still fixated on him as if she isn’t sure if he is real or not. “Can you breathe, Gin?” he asks. He wants to talk to her but he wants to make sure she’s out of immediate danger first.

“Mike?” Ginny whispers as if she is afraid to trust her eyes. Mike sags back in his seat. He never thought he’d be so happy to hear his name coming from her mouth. It is laced with something that he never thought he’d hear from her though. It has a tinge of pain and fear. He would do anything to take those away from her. “It hurts to breathe. I can’t breathe”, she whispers. 

Mike stares at the paramedic in a panic. He knows of the blow to her head but is at a loss as to why she can’t breathe. “Ms. Baker, I’m going to remove your jacket. Is that all right?” the paramedic asks. At her nod, careful of any evidence that might still be there, the EMT starts to pull down the zipper. Ginny’s eyes go wide as they focus on Mike’s. He squeezes her hand to show that she is all right and waits until the jacket is completely unzipped. Underneath her jacket Ginny only has her sports bra on. It is because there is so much skin showing that he is able to see the damage to her chest and torso.

“I’m going to kill him, Gin. Whoever it was is a dead man.” His voice is cold and deadly. He has never felt so much rage in his life. He is knocked on his ass by how fiercely he wants to murder the person who dared to touch her. The fact that he wasn’t with her when she came to the clubhouse in the morning meant that he wasn’t there to protect her. He needs to protect her in the future. There is no other option.

The paramedic starts probing her sternum and Ginny lets out a guttural moan that brings him back to the present. Tears come to her eyes and he squeezes her hand to ground her through the pain. The more the paramedic probes, the more she cries out in pain.

“Ms. Baker…” 

“Ginny”, she wheezes out

“Ginny. I’m pretty sure I can feel at least 2 broken ribs but we won’t know for sure until we get you to the hospital for X-Rays. With any luck that’s the only reason why you can’t breathe deeply. There is a chance that if one of those ribs punctured a lung that it would make breathing almost impossible. I’m not sure if you are showing symptoms of a punctured lung or not but I am also not sure what your pain threshold is. So again, we’ll have to wait. Thankfully we are about two minutes out from the hospital.” Mike looks on in horror as the full threat of Ginny’s injuries come to light. How close had he come to losing her altogether? What would he have done if the attacker didn’t stop when they did? He tried not to think about it at all.

As he was still reeling from the extent of Ginny’s injuries the ambulance comes to an abrupt halt. A minute later, the back doors fly open and the paramedics pull her gurney out of the bus. Mike is forced to let go of her hand for the first time since he found her on the training room floor. A look of panic washes over Ginny’s face as she tries to look back at him. “I’m right behind you, Gin. It’s alright.” He finds himself running after the gurney as they hurry Ginny through the hospital doors. As they rush her through the ER, a triage nurse holds him back. Ginny cries out his name but he is powerless to go with her.

“Are you family, sir?” The nurse obviously doesn’t recognize him, which makes him inexplicably angry. He is banking on his celebrity status to be able to go back with Ginny. “Is she your wife, sir?” the nurse tries again.

Watching the gurney disappear around the corner, Mike replies, “She’s my everything.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't think I'm entirely happy with this chapter but I'm posting it anyway...

Mike has been pacing the emergency waiting room like a caged animal for the past half hour. The fact that the hospital staff has regulated him to this area is making him more and more angry. He knows that Ginny is back there alone and he’s stuck in this cell. Alone with his thoughts he keeps going back to the moment when he found Ginny on the floor. He had never been so scared in his life. It was in that moment that he saw everything he wanted in his life and everything that could be taken away from him. He vowed, in the time he’s been here, that this is the last time that he wants to envision is happiness. From now on he wants to live it. If this incident has shown him anything it’s that you can’t wait for the perfect time in life. You need to grab it and hold onto it.

The longer he’s by himself the more rage he’s developing. He knows it’s not healthy. He knows that it’s not going to help Ginny heal from the attack. All he can focus on, though, is the fact that someone had come into their sacred space and harmed the woman that he loved. Someone had violated her privacy and followed her into a place where she should have been safest. The stadium is teeming with security. The clubhouse was locked down tighter than Fort Knox, even early in the morning. How on earth was someone able to breach the defenses of the clubhouse and hurt Ginny? How was it possible? All he knows is that when (it’s not a matter of if) he finds the person responsible for this he’s going to make him pay. Al told him he had a marshmallow center but he wasn’t feeling soft at all. Someone had come in and hurt his girl and nothing was going to stop him from making that person hurt as much as they hurt Ginny. 

His increasingly murderous thoughts are cut off when the door to the waiting room explodes open. There in the doorway stands Blip and a red-eyed Evelyn. She looks like she’s been crying for a while now. Mike can’t blame her. If he wasn’t trying so desperately to stop his own tears, he would have lost it a while ago. As it is, he’s doing his best to keep his calm so he’ll be ready when he can see Ginny again. Evelyn walks right up to him and hugs him tight. At that moment, it might be the one thing that he needs. He tightens his arms around Evie and allows himself to let go. The dam breaks and tears start streaming down his face and onto her neck. It takes a few moments to realize that Evelyn is crying along with him. They cling to each other for support until they are able to control themselves.

“What’s going on? Have you heard anything? Why are you in here and not with Ginny? Have you talked to her? Have you talked to the doctors?” Evelyn’s questions come at him in rapid fire that he’s having a hard time processing one before another comes. He knows that this is Evelyn’s way of dealing with things. She needs to take charge so she can feel like she’s in control of something. Mike can’t seem to pull himself together enough to tell her that he doesn’t know anything so he just shakes his head. Hopefully that answers all of her questions.

Blip looks at his best friend and feels the scale of the situation. “Hey man, do you need anything? Can we do anything for you?” Blip just wants to be able to take some of the weight that seems to be pushing on Mike’s shoulders. 

“We need to call Amelia to let her know what’s going on. I didn’t get a chance to do that yet. Someone should also contact Will and her mother so they know what’s going on here as well.” Mike says. He feels like he’s failed just about everyone at this point. He couldn’t even contact Ginny’s agent

“She’s on her way. We called her on the way over. She’s devastated. She and Eliot are trying to make sure that the media doesn’t get wind of this. We all decided that it would be better for Ginny if she doesn’t have to deal with the media shit storm along with the attack” Evelyn says. Mike looks at her in awe at her level headedness. He’s thankful that Ginny has the Sanders in her life. 

“They stopped me from going back there with her. I tried everything but they wouldn’t let me go back there. They told me that since I wasn’t family they couldn’t tell me anything. I feel like I’m going insane. I need to be with her. I need to protect her. I don’t know where she is and she’s all alone back there.” Mike realizes how frantic he sounds but he also knows the Blip and Evelyn understand. His heart is back there and hurt and since he’s not “family” he’s not with her. He wanted to scream at the staff earlier that she is his family but he knew it wouldn’t have helped. Just as he was going to tell them what he knew, Amelia and Eliot came through the door. Amelia looks almost as devastated as he does. Amelia walked over and hugged everyone then nods at Mike to continue.

“She woke up in the ambulance and she was so scared. She started to have a panic attack but I was able to talk her through it. I’ve never seen her look that scared. I just kept imagining what she was feeling during the attack because she was alone. She didn’t even recognize me at first. As soon as she did she started to cry. Like she finally knew she was safe. My heart broke for her.” Mike took a deep breath trying to get himself together. He knew that Ginny needed him to be strong. Mike tells them of everything they diagnosed in the ambulance on the way over. The last thing he wants to do is relive it but he knows that Ginny’s friends will want to know what they are dealing with. When he’s finished reliving the tale Mike bows his head and lets a few tears fall.

Blip puts a hand on his shoulder and Evelyn grabs his hand. Amelia looks at Mike and the realization dawns on her that Ginny’s crush is reciprocated. Amelia remembers the conversation they had right after Mike’s trade fell through. She remembers the devastation on Ginny’s face when she revealed that she was in love with Mike but they couldn’t be together. She also remembers Ginny telling her that there was no way Mike saw her anything other than a passing fancy. “Oh Gin, if you could only see how devastated he is”, she thinks. “You would never doubt that he loves you just as much as you love him.” She and Mike might have history but there is nothing in their past that could ever come close to this. She vows right there to make sure that they have a shot at it. Screw what the media says and the public thinks. These two deserve to be together.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay guys, the weekend was insane

The wait for any news is killing them all. Four of them huddle in the seats while Mike continues to pace. There is no way that he’s going to be able to settle before he knows that Ginny is all right. Every time the door opens the entire groups gets up in hopes that it is a doctor telling them what’s going on. Mike looks at his watch and realizes that they have been sitting in the waiting room for almost four hours. The game should be over soon. It was the first time that he’s even thought about the fact that he was supposed to be starting catcher. He hoped that the team was able to concentrate on the game but he knows that the entire team had Ginny on their minds while out on the pitch.

Mike notes that, like usual, Amelia has taken charge of the logistics of dealing with Ginny’s attack. Her ability to compartmentalize has always been a mystery to him. He learned from an early age that he had no ability to contain his emotions. Everything that he feels is always written on his face. Blip calls it the worst poker face he’s ever seen. And it’s true. He knows that he can’t hide his emotions. Today was the first time that he wished he could. He doesn’t want Ginny to see him as worried. He wants her to know that she can trust him to be strong for her. Although, looking strong will be pointless if he never gets to see her.

Just as he starts heading down that dark path the door opens. A very distinguished man in a lab coat walks over to the group. “Mr. Lawson? My name is Dr. Watson. I’ve been overseeing Ms. Baker’s case. She’s given me permission to talk to you, the Sanders and Ms. Slater. I hope it’s alright if we do this all at once.” At Mike’s nod the doctor continues. “Ms. Baker has been the victim of some extensive blunt-force trauma. The fact that she came in awake after the blow to the head is a miracle. I’ve seen patients linger in comas for days after that kind of trauma. She is confused at times but mostly aware of her surroundings and details of her life. I’m not as concerned as I normally would be with this type of injury because she is so coherent.”

As the doctor speaks Mike’s mind reels from all the information. The fucker hit her so hard that he could have done some major damage. “She complained about not being able to breathe. Did you take X-Rays?” Mike asks. He just wants to get this over with so he can go back to see her.

“Yes, we ran her through radiology and it looks like one of her ribs are broken and two are cracked. The one that was broken completely was probably pushing on her lung but it doesn’t look like it was punctured. She says that the pressure to breathe has lessened so it’s possible that the rib shifted away from her lung. We taped her up so hopefully it won’t shift again. Other than that the injuries are relatively minor. The bruises on her face should heal quickly. The ones on her torso are deeper so they’ll take longer. We are most concerned about the concussion and the broken rib. Ms. Baker is fighting us on being admitted but we want to monitor her at least through the night to make sure the head trauma doesn’t get worse.”

“She’s afraid of hospitals. She was in a severe car accident a few years ago and since then she’s afraid”, Evelyn explains. “We’ll make sure that she knows she has to stay and that she’s safe here. Can we see her?” Mike can see that Evie is desperate to see Ginny. He is too but he doesn’t want to overwhelm her with all of them charging in.

“Yes, of course, but only a couple at a time” the doctor explains. They all look at each other trying to see who gets to go first. “I’d like to go last if it’s alright with all of you. I plan on being here for a while”, Mike says. On that, Amelia nods and leaves the room with Eliot. Blip looks at Mike with sympathy and pats him on the shoulder. “She’s gonna be fine, man. Ginny’s a fighter. She’s going to come out of this swinging. You’ll see”. Mike looks at his friend in awe. 

Evelyn looks at him with compassion on her face. “Mike, it’s time. I don’t think you should put off being together until you retire. We could have lost her today. Nothing is guaranteed. I don’t want to see you waste any more time waiting for it to be perfect. You love her. She loves you. You two just need to talk it out and admit it. So what if the team hates the idea? So what if the media hangs on to it? You both have been through so much that it’s your turn from some happiness. It’s ok to wait until she’s healed but make sure she knows that she can count on you no matter what.” Mike is too overwhelmed to speak so he just nods her head. Blip and Evelyn stand up to leave the room when Amelia comes back in.

Amelia walks over to Mike and hugs him. “Don’t worry. It’ll be all right. I’ll make sure it’s all right”, she says as she lets go. Mike looks at her in surprise. Not only has Amelia just given her okay for him and Ginny to be together and that she will do anything to help them navigate through it. He smiles a thank you. “I have to go and figure out what Oscar wants to say to the media. They are going to know something is up but we need to figure out how to frame the narrative. Let me know if anything changes.” And with that she leaves with Eliot in tow.

Twenty minutes later Blip and Evelyn came back into the waiting room. Evelyn gives him a watery smile and grabs her stuff. Blip comes over to him and gives him an update. “She’s in a lot of pain but taking it like a champ. She’s being super quiet but she told me that the cops are coming in to see her in a few. She’s a little high from all the painkillers, which is pissing her off because she didn’t want them at all. Oh…and she’s asking for you”. Blip smiles at Mike to send him on his way. Apparently Blip agrees with Evelyn’s assessment of their relationship.

Mike watches the Sanders’ leave and gathers up his wits to head down the hall. The nurse at the station tells him that Ginny is in room 430 and he smiles at the irony of having her jersey number in her room number. As he approaches her door he takes a large breath to center himself. Looking through the window of the door he sees Ginny lying on the bed. He’s never seen her look so small. His heart breaks for her. He renews his vow that she will never have to face anything alone again. With that in his heart, he pushes the door open and walked through the door.

Ginny looks up at Mike and gives him the sweetest smile. It’s sad but there is also relief behind it. He walks to her bed and grabs her hand. With a slight squeeze he sits down on the chair that is adjacent to her bed. “How are you feeling, Gin?” He knows it’s a terrible thing to ask but he’s at a loss on what to say to her. He wants to tell her he loves her. He wants to tell her that he wants to be with her. He wants to tell her that she’s everything to him. Instead he just waits for her to speak. 

“Everything hurts, Mike. It hurts to breathe but not as bad as before.” She pauses briefly before continuing. “I was so scared. I thought he was going to kill me. I thought…” Ginny starts to cry and Mike leaps up from his chair to wrap her in his arms. Yup, he’s going to kill the bastard that did this to her.

“You’re safe now, baby. I promise you’re safe now. I’m not going to let anyone hurt you again.” Mike feels Ginny sag with relief and tries to move away to sit back down on the chair. She tightens her hold on him and shifts over the best she can to make room for him on the bed.

“Stay” she pleads. Mike hesitates. He wanted nothing more than to climb on the bed and hold her but he didn’t want to hurt her. “Please” Ginny pleads. Deciding that he can’t deny her, Mike climbs on the bed and wraps his arm around her. Ginny leans her head on his shoulder and he feels her instantly relax. He vows to whatever is out there that he will protect her for the rest of his life.


	6. Chapter 6

Mike can’t say how long Ginny’s head lay on his shoulder. He just knew that it felt like he was finally home. All that awkwardness of denying that they belonged together was over in his mind. This is exactly how it should be. They should be able to offer comfort and solace to each other in their time of need. Everything felt right despite the wrongness of what lead them here.

Ginny hadn’t let go of his hand yet. On some level he wasn’t sure if she even realized that she still held it but then she squeezed and he knew that she was drawing his strength. “What can I do for you, Gin? Anything you need I’ll do for you. If I could take it all away and go through this for you I would. I hope that you know that” he pleads. Ginny looks up at him with huge eyes and a few tears leak out. 

“This is all I need right now. Just be here for me. Stay with me. Hold my hand. Mike, what if he comes back? What if he finds me? He got into the clubhouse. What’s to stop him from finding me here?” Mike notices that her breathing is increasing in speed and can tell by the wince she gives that it hurts to do so. He squeezes the arm that’s around her and tells her exactly what he’s been feeling for he last five plus hours. “I’m not going to let him anywhere near you, Ginny. You have to know that I will do everything in my power to make sure that you’re safe. I’ll come to your crack of dawn workouts, when you’re allowed to start again. I’ll make sure that security is increased. I’ll make sure that you’re safe at home. I’ll get him for you, Gin, so you never have to feel unsafe again.” The look of astonishment on her face is something that would carry Mike through the rest of his days. In a way he knew that it is his confession. THE confession. But he plans on having that full conversation when they aren’t both in distress.

Just as she is about to answer the door opened and a woman walks in. Ginny tenses for a moment out of reflex and Mike kisses her forehead. “Ms. Baker? I’m Detective Sharon Gleason. I’m here to take your statement of the events at Petco Park. Would you be willing to talk to me?” Detective Gleason looks at Mike in a silent question whether he should stay. Mike looks the Detective in the eye as a challenge. If she thinks I’m going anywhere she has another thing coming. 

“I’ll talk as long as Mike can stay while I do. Please” Ginny pleads. Mike notices the resignation in the detective’s eyes and knows that she thinks he’s going to be an issue. “Alright, Ms. Baker. Mr. Lawson, if you could just let her speak without interruption it would make this go quicker.” Mike’s eyebrows reach his hairline when she calls him by name. “I’m a Padres season ticket holder, sir. I would recognize you both anywhere. I’m only going to say this once. I fought for your case, Ms. Baker. I can’t imagine anyone going into the stadium and violating you like that. I’ve watched you pitch and it’s a thing of beauty. I want to catch this guy for you and all the fans who will weep with you during your recovery. If you think I’ll have a conflict of interest I will gladly get another detective but I would very much like to help catch this guy for you.”

Mike feels Ginny relax almost instantly during Detective Gleason’s speech. He is tense because he knows that he’s going to have a hard time containing his anger as Ginny relays the story of her attack. This is definitely one of those times his terrible poker face is going to doom him. He knows he needs to be strong for Ginny but he also knows that his temper is already at a high level. Ginny nods at the detective. “I think it actually helps me to know that you feel so passionately about catching this guy. I’d like to let you continue with the case. But only if you call me Ginny.” Mike smiles down at his girl. She has such a kind heart even in the face of trauma. He knows that having him there puts their relationship in the spotlight with the detective but he honestly doesn’t care if someone puts out a full page ad in the San Diego Union-Tribune, he’s not moving. The detective motions for Ginny to continue. “Whenever you’re ready, Ginny. We can start from the beginning and go from there. Just tell me everything you can remember. The more information we get the better profile we can create.”

Ginny takes a deep breath and begins. “This morning…”

Mike cuts her off with an apologetic look to the detective. “Gin, start with the notes. I think they are connected.”

Ginny smiles a little smile at him and starts again.

“About a month ago I started receiving notes from a fan. They weren’t sent with the rest of my letters. They made it to my hotel or to the clubhouse. All my fan mail is vetted through my agent because there is so much of it. I always found it odd that these didn’t go through them but I didn’t think much about it. I have some in my locker at the park that I could give you. All the notes were signed by the same person with the initials D.B. I told Mike about it but I also told him not to worry. I probably should have worried, huh? There were flowers sometimes too.” At that Mike tenses because he didn’t know about the flowers. Ginny looks at him and explains. “I didn’t tell you because I could tell you were so worried. I didn’t want you to lose concentration since the season was just starting. I should have told you. I’m so sorry.” Mike loves that she wanted to protect him from the stress but he needs her to remember that he’s her ally in this. “It’s alright, Gin. Just don’t keep things like this from me. I need to know these things.”

Ginny nods at him and continues. “Anyway, this morning I had a meeting with my agent and the executives at Cover Girl. I knew that I was pitching this afternoon so I went to the park around 7:00 this morning to get my workout in. I was in the room for about 20 minutes when a man in a Petco security uniform came in. Part of me knew it was odd because the security guys knew I was there and they don’t come into the training rooms. They stay on the outside in the halls to stop people, usually reporters, from slipping into the clubhouse before the pressers. I didn’t recognize him so I figured that he was new. It wasn’t until I realized that he was staring at me that I knew something was definitely wrong. I saw that he was speaking to me so I turned off my music. Just as I was turning off my music I heard him say something to the affect of ‘you spend too much time talking to Lawson on the mound’. Some of the notes that I was getting before the attack said the same thing.” Mike feels the rage build back up in his stomach again. He had no idea that the attacker had an issue with him.

“I realized that he wasn’t a security guard after all because he was basically repeating what he said in the notes. He called me Mike’s whore and that he wasn’t going to let him have me. I was his and that’s jus how it was going to end. I tried to run off the treadmill but he had blocked me in. I think I might have angered him when I told him that Lawson was my captain and that’s it. I was trying to calm him down. I think I enraged him by lying. He grabbed a weight from the rack and was waving it around while screaming at me. He called me a whore and a liar.” The waver in Ginny’s voice breaks Mike’s heart. The sadness quickly turns to anger when he realizes that this psycho couldn’t deal with the closeness that he and Ginny have. 

“I tried to get away when he was distracted but he saw me move. I think that’s when he hit me with the weight in his hand. After that, the next thing I know I was waking up in the ambulance unable to breathe. I guess he took his anger out on my torso.”

Mike had tears in his eyes by the time Ginny finishes his story. Detective Gleason looks at him and asks, “I hate to do this, and the information won’t leave my office, but are the two of you together? Could he have been watching you and deducing that he wasn’t the object of her affections? I am trying to create a psychological profile of Ginny’s stalker.”

Mike looks at Ginny, who nods at him to tell the truth. “Baker is my pitcher. She’s my Rookie. The bond between pitcher and catcher is usually tight. But she’s also my best friend. We hang out a lot. We spend a lot of time together. She crashes at my place on dinner and movie nights. There is a chance that, if he knows where she lives, that he has followed her to the edge of my property. My house is highly secured. He wouldn’t be able to get past the gates. But if he knew that she was there with me, it might have set him off.” Mike turns to look at Ginny. “I’m sorry, Rook. I’m sorry that he used our relationship against you.”

Ginny smiles at him. That cute little half smile that tells him he’s being an idiot. “It’s not your fault, old man. He’s crazy. He would have found some other excuse.” Mike tightens his arms around her and watches the detective’s eyes narrow a little. Yeah, she knows. He just gave away the fact that he loves her. He really, really has to work on his poker face.

“OK, Ginny. I think that’s enough to start with. Here’s my card if you think of anything else. When they release you from the hospital, let me know where I can reach you. Get some rest. Oh, if my opinion means anything, take the hard meds. They help. I’ve been injured more times than I can count on this job.” With a warm smile, Detective Gleason leaves the room.

“She’s right, you know. You need to rest” Mike says. He moves to get off the bed so Ginny can sleep. She tightens her arms around his chest in a panic. “Are you leaving?” Her voice is small and breathy. 

Mike just looks at her like she’s grown three heads. “If you think for one minute that I am leaving you by yourself that concussion is worse than we thought. There is no way I’m letting you out of my sight with that psychopath out there.”

Ginny relaxes as he moves off the bed into the chair next to her. “That contraption is going to kill your back, old man.”

“It’ll be worth it in the end, Ginny. Sleep, Gin. I’ll keep you safe.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This one is a bit of a filler chapter but I think it's necessary to change the direction of the story

Around nine o’clock a nurse comes in to check her vitals. Mike sees her smile when she notices him in the chair. “Hi Mr. Lawson. I’m going to have to wake her up in a minute because of the concussion. I also wanted to let you know that there are about 10 really anxious Padres in the waiting room. I wanted to check to see if she was up for a few visitors.” Mike smiles at the nurse and tells her that he’ll go out to speak to them while she takes care of Ginny.

As Mike makes his way down the hall he can hear the guys getting restless. Walking through the door he notices that half of the team has made the trip to the hospital. What a difference a year makes, he thinks. Last year Ginny was a gimmick and now she’s one of their own. He knows that some of them look at her like a little sister. Ginny always looks at them in awe when they accept her. Al has become a father figure to her. He was there to keep her grounded when things seemed to spiral.

The moment the guys see him, Mike is bombarded with questions. He couldn’t really hear any of the questions and the look of confusion must have shown on his face because Sonny held his hand up to appoint himself the liason. “How is Ginny, Mike?” Mike chooses his words carefully as to not worry the team. He knows, however, that he needs to be honest with them so they know what they are dealing with.

“She has a severe concussion, one broken rib, and two fractured ribs. Thankfully the rib didn’t puncture her lung so breathing is a little easier. She gets confused every once and a while but it could have been a lot worse. She was able to relay the whole incident to the detective that came through so that was good. It was a vicious attack and she’s really scared. It’s the first time that I’ve ever seen her look like that. The guy dressed as a security guard. That’s how he got in.” Mike takes a deep breath and continues. “She was sleeping when you came in but she’s probably awake now. The nurse came in to take her vitals. She took the heavy meds, even though she didn’t want to, so I’m not sure how awake she’s going to be. If you want to see her, it should probably be a few at a time. She’s in room 430.” 

A few of the guys left to go and visit while Mike sat down. The weight of what had occurred suddenly became too much. He sits down on one of the plastic chairs and places his head in his hands. Sonny takes the seat on one side of him with Livan on the other. Livan pats him on the leg with a fist letting him know that the team will be there for Ginny as well as him. The mentor/mentee relationship that they have developed since Livan realized he needed help has strengthened an unlikely friendship. Sonny asks gently, “Do you need anything, Mike? I’m sure you’re trying to hold it together for her but this seems too much. I’ll help out in any way I can.”

Mike is overwhelmed by the support. “I think I’m ok for now but I’ll definitely let you know. All I know right now is that Gin is going to need some help once she’s been released. I’m sure that moving is going to be painful and I don’t want her overextending herself. You know she’ll try. We’ll see what she needs once she’s been released. Thanks so much, Sonny. I really appreciate the offer.” In that moment Mike just wants to put his head down and sleep. He feels like he’s aged a decade in the past day. 

Over the next half hour Mike watches as his teammates enter and exit Ginny’s room. They stop back in the waiting room to let him know that they are leaving and to offer support. Finally Sonny and Livan come back in. “I think we tired her out. I’m sorry Lawson. But she seemed happy to see us. She said to tell you that you can go home if you want to”, Livan says. The look on Mike’s face must have told him that it was never going to happen because he just smiles and heads out the door. Sonny looks at him and lets him know that he would call him tomorrow.

Mike took an extra few minutes to get himself under control. Now that he’s had a moment to decompress he’s having a hard time getting his emotions in check. He’d come so close to losing her before he even got a chance to be with her. The feels like he’s wasted so much time. After the trade to the Cubs fell through, they danced around the issue for months. They denied themselves the chance of happiness because they were both afraid that it would affect her reputation. Any other profession an office place romance would be fine. But given the fact that so many people look up to her and look at her as a beacon means that Ginny feels the scrutiny more than most. He understands. Really he does. But he can’t do it anymore. Hell, he’s willing to retire right now if that’s what it’ll take. In a perfect world it won’t come to that. But he’s willing if it means that he and Ginny can stop wasting any more time. He almost lost his chance at a happy ending when Ginny was attacked and he’ll be damned if he’s going to let someone get a second shot at ruining it.

Resolve in place and a plan in the works, Mike stands up and heads down the hallway. He needs to figure out a way to convince Ginny to give them a shot but he he’s known for his grand speeches. This is the speech of his lifetime. He’ll wait for Ginny to be released from the hospital then decide on his best course of action. But in the end it’ll be worth it. Taking a deep breath, Mike pushes open the door to Ginny’s room.

A sweet smile on her lips greets him as he walks in. She looks exhausted and her eyes a bit glassy from the medication but she seems genuinely pleased to see him. “Hey, old man. I thought maybe you left. You need to get some sleep. I know I asked you to stay before but that was selfish. You’ve done so much for me today and you need to take care of yourself too.” Mike gives her a look that tells her that it’s definitely not going to happen. He’ll take seized back muscles and achy knees if he can guarantee that she’s safe for the night.

“It’s alright, Gin. I’ll be fine in the chair. You should get some sleep. The more you rest the quicker you’ll heal. I’ll be here when you wake up. If you’re good, I’ll bring you a real breakfast in the morning instead of whatever crap they try to feed you. I might even get you extra bacon. For now, you need to sleep. Let the meds do their job.” Ginny reaches out her hand and he takes it willingly. With a squeeze, she closes her eyes and allows herself to drift to sleep. Mike raises her hand to his lips and kisses it. Releasing her hand, he settles into to the torture device that is a hospital chair. It’s going to be a long night.


	8. Chapter 8

Mike was woken up periodically as nurses came in to check on Ginny. He was partially aware of his surroundings as they came in. It was good because the less time he spent conscious the less time he had to concentrate on the fact that his back was on fire. The nurses had been in three times already. Each time they woke Ginny up and asked her a series of questions to make sure that her concussion hadn’t worsened. 

Mike took note of a new shift coming in when a different nurse came in to check on Ginny. As she woke her up, Mike picked up on a small moan that escaped her mouth. In an instant, Mike was out of his chair and standing next to Ginny’s bed. “Are you in pain, Gin?” He asked while staring at the nurse.

“My head feels like it’s being squeezed. I think I’m going to throw up.” The nurse grabbed a pan right before Ginny purged the contents of her stomach. It seemed to go on forever. Mike’s stomach hurt just watching the retching. Knowing that she had broken ribs made it even more painful to watch. “Mike, don’t look at me. You shouldn’t have to see this.” Ginny’s voice was pain filled and it broke his heart. He certainly wasn’t going to let her go through this by herself. Instead, he grabbed her hair back and whispered in her ear to talk her through it.

“It’s OK, Gin. The concussion is going to do this. I know it hurts. You’ll feel so much better when it’s over. “ It became a mantra as her stomach finished convulsing. Mike looked at Ginny as tears streamed down her face. He couldn’t imagine the type of pain she was in. She was crying full on now and he wanted to cry right along with her. Her face was contorted in pain as she grabbed her ribs. Mike watched as she tried to control her breathing instead of having to take in giant gulps.

“She hasn’t had pain meds in a while. Do you think she can get them now?” Mike addressed the nurse as Ginny rested her forehead on his arm. He felt her shaking her head, dismissing the meds. “Gin, you need them. The pain is going to get worse now that you’ve exerted yourself. Take them. I know you hate how you feel with them but it’s the only way your body will rest now.” Ginny nodded reluctantly and the nurse left briefly to check her chart. Five minutes later the nurse came back in with a small cup of pills. Mike helped by filling a plastic cup with water. Ginny took the pills and the water. He knew it’ll take a while for the meds to kick in but at least she’s on her way to being able to settle. 

As the nurse turned to leave, Mike moved away from the bed but, once again, Ginny’s hand is like a vice in his. He sat down on her bed as she tried to fight the sleep. Apparently the meds are fast acting. Within ten minutes Ginny’s hand went slack. Her head was still on his arm so he stayed where he was. It only takes ten minutes for Mike to fall asleep on her bed with her.

The next time Mike woke up it was light out. The sun was streaming through the blinds in the room and he squinted as he took in his surroundings. He was slightly disoriented and when he looked down he realized that he was still on Ginny’s bed. His arm was wrapped behind her head. It wasn’t the first time that Ginny fell asleep on him. His girl was notorious for nodding off on his shoulder on the bus. The fact that he had slept so soundly shocked him, however. The emotional rollercoaster that was the day before must have taken its toll.

The nurse from the middle of the night came in with Ginny’s breakfast tray. Mike took note of her name, Nicole, now that he wasn’t so focused on Ginny’s pain. Mike moved his arm and Ginny wakes up to see breakfast. It is then that they both noticed that Nicole was carrying a large bouquet of flowers in her other hand. “Looks like your friends have already decided to decorate your room, Ms. Baker!” Nicole says. Ginny smiled at the lilies that make up the majority of the bunch. She'd mentioned that lilies were her favorite in some obscure magazine article when she was first called up. Since then the guys had teased her about it. 

As Ginny reached for the card in the flowers, Mike lifted the cover off Ginny’s breakfast tray. Just as he was going to uncover her food, she grabbed his arm so tightly that he would probably bruise. Turning his head he noticed that her face has gone ashen. In her hand the card to the flowers was slowly being crushed in her hand. “Baker? Gin? What is it? Can you breathe? Are you in pain?” He couldn’t figure out what the matter was and he was starting to panic. Ginny turned to look him in the eyes and handed the card to him. Confused, he opened the paper and blanched. Anger coursed through his system. There, scrawled on the note in very familiar handwriting, was proof that Ginny wasn’t safe where she was. The note screamed with anger. I’M NOT DONE WITH YOU YET WHORE!!!

Mike sprung into action. He ran to the door to call the nurse to page a doctor. He had to get Ginny discharged and somewhere safe. Ginny’s transport to the hospital was not published so the only way that this stalker knew she was there was if he followed the ambulance. That means that Ginny needed to get out of there as quickly as possible. There wasn’t enough security to keep anyone off her floor and if this guy was able to pose at Petco security then hospital security would be easy. No, she needed to leave. 

Bringing her back to her hotel was out of the question since the stalker obviously knows where she lived. Blip and Evelyn would be happy to take her in to recuperate but there was no way he would lead the danger to their family. No, the only option was his home. The glass structure might seem a risk but there was no way that anyone could get close to it. When he was married to Rachel he had to deal with a lot of crazy groupies trying to get close to him. When he moved to the new house he made sure he had state of the art security. Tall fences and a gate with an entry code surrounded his property. Every corner of the house had a camera. He also had an alarm company on call monitoring the entire place. He and Ginny would be safe there and he could help her recover.

He knows that he needs to call Detective Gleason but that would all have to wait until he got Ginny out of the hospital and safe. He knows that taking her home will anger this D.B. guy but he no longer cared. He messed with the wrong guy when he came after Ginny. Mike hoped that he angers the stalker so much that he makes a mistake quickly. The only thing the stalker needs to do is hope that the police gets to him before Mike does. If he finds him first, Mike won’t be responsible for the outcome.

Mike turned to Ginny who seems in her own world. He could tell that she’s scared but trying not to show it. “Gin, we’re getting you out of here. We’ll get you discharged and we’ll go home. You’ll be safe there. You know he can’t get to you there.” It wasn’t until Ginny blinked that he realizes how it sounds. Like she’d already been living there Like it was her home as well. As it stands, the thought didn’t scare him as much as he thought it would.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Happy Holidays everyone! There will probably not be a chapter this weekend because I'm traveling for Christmas so it'll be Monday at the earliest. Thank you so much for the support. You're all amazing.

It’s amazing what can be accomplished when you are a famous person with money. It also doesn’t hurt that you look like a raging lunatic as you run through the halls of the hospital. Mike was actually surprised how quickly things were taken care of as he screamed on top of his lungs to find a doctor and get everything ready for Ginny to be moved to his home. Within the hour the doctor had been called and he had signed the papers for Ginny to be released into his care. With one phone call he had a private nurse scheduled to come later that night. He didn’t care what he looked like. He just wanted to get Ginny somewhere safe.

Mike was listening to the doctor as he gave him all the instructions to care for Ginny once they left the hospital. He would still have to wake her up every couple of hours to make sure that her concussion didn’t worsen. He had to agree to bring her back to the hospital if her symptoms deteriorated no matter what the risk to her safety. Her health had to be top priority. Mike was handed all the meds that Ginny would need before her recheck and a list of written instructions since apparently he looked as overwhelmed as he felt.

Mike knows that the safest place for Ginny will be his house. There is no way this stalker can get to her there. He just wished that he felt confident enough in his abilities to take care of her medical conditions right now. He once told Al that he ruined everything in his life. He does not want to ruin everything in Ginny’s too. He wants to help her recover so she can be happy and healthy again. He wants to make sure that she feels safe in her own skin again. He has to learn to work through his insecurities to make sure they don’t settle on her. And he has to do all that in an hour. He’s never felt pressure like this before.

Mike had one last phone call to make before he was able to get Ginny out of the hospital. Blip answered on the second ring. “Hey Mike, everything alright?” Mike sighed. He didn’t even know how to tell Blip and Evelyn that Ginny still isn’t safe.

“Hey man, I think we are going to need a favor from you.” Mike then tells him everything that has happened that morning. He could hear Blip’s breath speed up as he tried to keep his anger in check. “So, I ned to get Ginny out of here but my car is still at Petco. Do you think you or Evie could come and pick us up?” He knew that he would have to get his car from the stadium eventually but that was something he could deal with later.

“Of course. We can be there within 20 minutes. Let me just get the boys off to school and I’ll head over. I’ll let Al know that I’ll be late for practice. I’m assuming that you aren’t going in today. Right?” Mike hadn’t even thought of baseball in the last 24 hours. There was no way that he was even going to be able to be game ready so Oscar will just have to put him on the DL with Ginny. She will probably kick him out of the house within the week because it’s his job to play but that can wait.

“Thanks Blip. We’ll see you when you get here.” With that, Mike hung up and headed back to Ginny’s room. Through all of the preparation he hadn’t been able to be there to comfort her. He knows that she is scared but he also knows that all of the prep work to get them out of there was more important. As he approached he could hear Ginny quietly crying. His heart squeezed knowing that he was not with her. When he opened the door, Ginny looked up at him with puffy eyes. He walked to the bed and got on it with her. Wrapping his arms around her shoulders, he let her cry it out before telling her the plans he had in place. For now, she needs this to help her cope.

“I’m getting you out of here. You’re not safe here. I want to take you to my home. Will you be ok with that? I’ve gotten your discharge papers signed, a nurse is coming to the house, and Blip or Evelyn are coming to pick us up. I just realized that I didn’t consult you with half of this stuff. I’m sorry, Gin. I know you don’t like it when others make decisions for you but I just wanted to get it done as quickly as possible. I promise that you’ll be the one making the decisions from now on.” Mike spoke without taking a breath. He wanted to make sure that Ginny knew that he respected her independence. 

Ginny smiled up at him and the tension left his body. “It’s alright. Thank you. If you running around screaming at everyone gets me out of this hospital it’s ok. You’re really scary when you want to be. Next time I want to get someone to do something for me I’m calling you in as the brawn.” For the first time since the attack Ginny joked with him. There was lightness in her eyes as she did so. Mike was worried that he was never going to see that again. He realized that he missed this part of her. He was happy that it came out so quickly.

The door opened cautiously less than 20 minutes later and both Sanders walked through the door. Evelyn walked right over to the other side of the bed even though Mike was about to get up to leave room for her. She wrapped her arms around Ginny and just held her as tears started to leak out of her eyes. Blip patted him on the shoulder in a show of support. “Hey, the car is outside. Evie brought Ginny some clothes and we just talked to the doctor. Y’all can leave whenever you’re ready.”

Mike turns to Ginny and she nods at him. He smiles and gets up to leave her and Evelyn to get her changed. Right before he leaves the bed she squeezes his hand and his whole body warmed. He and Blip leave the room and Mike begins to pace. “You’re holding it together really well. Just a little longer and you can get her out of here. The farther she is away from this place the safer she’ll be. Don’t worry. When you get her to your place this guy won’t be able to get to her. Then we just have to wait for the cops to do their job.” Mike nodded at him as a silent agreement.

The door opens and Evelyn walks out. “She’s ready to go. She’s going to need some help getting out of that bed. I had to help her dress while she was still laying in it. She is in too much pain to get up on her own.” She smirks as Mike races past her to get back into the room. She looks at her husband and they both laugh at him. They both know that watching these two get together is going to be entertaining.

Mike sees Ginny lying on the bed in her street clothes and somehow it helps him realize that she is going to all right. She looks a little more relaxed in her normal clothes like she shed the costume of injury and wrapped herself in her armor. “I’m ready to go if we can.” 

“Let me just go and get the nurse. They’’ll get you a wheelchair so we can get you down to the parking lot.” Mike leaves the room and comes back with Nicole and a wheelchair. He walks over to the bed and lifts her gently up. She grunts in pain despite how gentle he is. “I’m sorry, Rook. It’ll get better soon. The second day is always the worst.” Putting her down in the chair he smiles at Nicole and takes the handles and pushes Ginny out the door. He nods at Blip and leads the way to the elevator.

It takes them five minutes to get to the parking lot and to the Sanders’ car. He apologizes to Ginny as he lifts her into the car. Blip and Evelyn round the car to get in. Nicole takes the wheelchair from Mike and he gets into the car next to Ginny in the back. He grabs her hand and squeezes. Ginny turns to him and smiles. He’s sitting close enough for her to put her head on his shoulder so she does. They ride back to his house in that position. Apparently Ginny's new favorite position with her head on his shoulders is his new favorite position.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hi Everyone! I hope you've all had a great holiday. So...I'm having trouble with Chapter 11. I'm a teacher on Christmas break and my brain has completely stopped functioning. I'll try to get it to you tomorrow but that's no guarantee. In the meantime, enjoy!

By the time the group made it to Mike’s house Ginny was all but moaning in pain. Her face was scrunched up and she was breathing heavily through her nose. He knew that sitting up, even partially, must be so uncomfortable for her. It always amazed him how well she tolerated pain. He knew that it had to be excruciating. Every time the SUV hit a bump Ginny hissed and he wanted nothing more than to take the pain away from her. He had never been so happy to see the gate to his property. It meant that they were home and he could get her into the house and into a bed. 

Blip punched in the code and the gate opened and closed as they passed through them. Winding up the driveway Mike shifted Ginny into a semi upright position to prepare her to get her into the house. When Blip pulled in front of his door, Mike was already moving for the handle of his door. Handing the house keys to Blip, he took a deep breath to steady himself. As rounded the car, he caught Evelyn’s worried eyes. He knew this wasn’t a brilliant idea but this was the only one that he felt comfortable with. As he nodded at Evelyn he opened the back door to help Ginny out of the car. She was trying to help by scooting over closer to the door without success. “Gin, stop sweetheart. You’re going to make the pain worse. Just wait. I’ll get you out of the car.” Mike reached into the back seat and put an arm under her legs and one behind her back. He lifted her out of the car while ignoring her protests.

“Mike, your back and your knees! I can walk if you just get me to my feet. Please don’t hurt yourself. It’s not worth winding up on the DL because you wanted to carry me into the house. Please, Mike…” Finally when she realized that he wasn’t going to put her down she stopped talking. It looked like it had taken everything out of her anyway. Ginny went quiet and laid her head on his shoulder. She started to breath heavily again so he knew the jostling of her had to hurt. “I’m sorry, Ginny. We’re almost there. As soon as we get you into the house you can rest. I promise this is going to be the worst of it. Hang on.” 

Mike realized that this was probably a side of him that Ginny had never seen but this is who he innately is. He’s a caregiver. He’s a protector. If a person is important to him he’ll go to the end of the world to make sure they are safe and happy. At this very moment, no one is as important as Ginny. So she’s going to see the side of him only a select few ever see. 

As he walked through the door Blip and Evelyn follow him into the house. Mike contemplated bringing her directly upstairs but then decided to settle her on the couch for now. He knew she had to be hungry and feeding her breakfast in the living room was easier than in bed. It was then that Mike realized that Evelyn had packed a bag for Ginny. “I’ll go back and get the rest of her stuff later. I figured this would be enough to get her settled and comfortable here.” She then looked at Ginny and continued. “Honey, I brought your favorite pjs to change into and most of your bath stuff. I’m going to bring all of your necessities here. If you’re feeling up to it, can you make me a list of what you absolutely need for the next few days for me to bring it tonight? From there we’ll start bringing things over.” Mike could tell that she was trying to remain calm for Ginny but he also knew that she was totally on edge from this whole thing.

Mike watched as Ginny contemplated this and saw the wall go up. She was trying to contain her emotions. He’d seen that look so often in the clubhouse and on the mound. He didn’t want to see it here. “Ev, you don’t have to do that. I don’t want to burden Mike longer than is necessary. He’s done enough. I’ll stay a couple of days and then head back to the hotel. I’m sure the security will be better by then. Just bring me a couple of days worth of clothes and I should be good.” As Mike listened to her he tried to not get mad. Like she would ever be a burden. If he had his way (and he knew he was thinking too far ahead) she would live here permanently. Evelyn must have been reading his body language because she jumped back in before he could say anything.

“Girl, listen, you are not going to be in any condition to take care of yourself. You are going to need help for a while. Mike wouldn’t have offered to bring you here if you were a burden. Let him help. Let us help. It’s OK to ask for it. You don’t have to be so independent all the time. Baseball Baker is great and we love her. We also love Civilian Ginny. Let us take care of you.” As Evelyn spoke, Mike watched tears form in Ginny’s eyes. He knew that she was lonely for most of her life. There wasn’t much time for others when her father made baseball her only focus. His new mission was to make sure that Ginny knew that she never had to be lonely again.

Mike sat down next to her on the couch. He felt Ginny’s head drop to his shoulder. “Gin, you aren’t going anywhere for a while. It’s going to take a long time for those ribs to heal so you’ll need someone with you. And if you think I’m letting you live on your own while that psycho is out there you don’t know me that well. I need to know that you are safe. I know that you think you need to do everything on your own but you don’t have to carry this by yourself. Let me take over for a while. You’re my best friend (more than that, he thinks). You’ll never be a burden.” Mike hoped that he got through to her. He felt her nod against his shoulder. “OK, now that it’s settled, let’s make that list for Evelyn. You know she needs something to do or she’ll drive us all crazy!” Mike looked at Evelyn and winked. She smirked back at him. “Are you hungry or do you want to sleep?”

“I’m nauseous. I don’t even want to think about food. I just want to sleep.”. Mike nodded and went to pick her back up to bring her up to his bedroom. The guest rooms were not really bedrooms anymore. He made them into an office and a game room. He was anticipating a fight but he was ready. He was literally counting down to her protest in his head when she opened her mouth. “I can sleep here, old man. I shouldn’t have a problem sleeping on the couch.” He just chuckled and shut it down immediately. “Yeah, that’s not going to happen. My bed is way more comfortable. Believe me. You’ll settle in up there and you’ll not complain about it.”

Ginny just sighed and kept silent. Taking that as consent, he lifted her back into his arms. She let out a little gasp in pain. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. Almost there.” Mike climbed the stairs and made his way to his bedroom. Passing through the door he deposited her on the bed. “Sleep, Gin. You still have a couple hours before you can have some more pain meds.” He cut off the beginning of her protest. “Yeah, no. You’re taking the pain meds. I’ll be here to take care of everything. You’ll be fine.” With that, Mike kissed her forehead, which is something he didn’t even realize that he was doing, and left the room.

Walking back into the living room he was greeted by two very worried Sanders. “I need to call Detective Gleason. She needs to know what happened at the hospital. I also have to tell her where to find Ginny when she needs to get in touch with her. I need to call Oscar. There is no way I’m going to be able to play until this is over. I can’t even think of leaving her on her own. I need to pick up my car from the Park. I need...oh my god. How am I going to do this? How am I going to keep her safe? How am I going to handle her medical issues? What the fuck was I thinking?” Mike felt like he was having a panic attack. He started to hyperventilate and sank to the couch. Evelyn came over and wrapped her arms around him. “Mike, you aren’t doing this on your own. We are going to help you. Call the Detective. That should be first. Everything else can wait. You’re going to be fine. You’re going to be able to do all this because you love her. You can move mountains for the people that you love. And you will.”

Blip sits on the other side of him. “I’ll talk to Oscar for you. I’m sure Amelia and Al have already put him on notice but I’ll let him know your plans. Evie and I will bring your car back here after the game. Just give us the keys. You need to get some sleep too. You’ll be a little more level headed after. We have to go. I’ve already missed BP but I need to get to the Park if I want to talk to Oscar. We’ll see you tonight.” With that, the Sanders’ rise to leave. 

Mike called Detective Gleason to tell her what’s going on. The security at the hospital have the card as evidence and she will pick it up there. Gleason told Mike that she will come around the next day to check on Ginny and to update her where they are in the investigation. Mike hung up and put his head in his hands. He’d never been so tired. Knowing that there was nothing else to do, he got off the couch and heads to the bedroom. He knew he should sleep on the couch but he’s calmer when he had Ginny in his sights. Decision made he climbed the stairs and entered his bedroom. Ginny was sleeping with a small grimace on her face. Mike took off his shoes and jeans. He slipped on a pair of gym shorts and climbed into the bed next to her. He set his alarm on his phone for two hours to wake her up and rolled to face Ginny. He feels peace for the first time in a decade. Reaching out an arm he laid his hand on her stomach and fell asleep.


	11. Chapter 11

Mike woke up with a start when the alarm went off. He hadn't slept so soundly in such a long time that he was slightly disoriented. Looking around the room he reached for his phone to shut the alarm off. It was then that he realized that he was completely wrapped around Ginny. He'd always been a cuddler. His therapist told him once that it was his unconscious way of holding onto his happiness. In this room, he knew that was true. Curled on his side he was molded to her body. An arm was still gently wrapped around her stomach like he knew, even when sleeping, that he needed to be careful with her.

Mike let out a sigh of pure contentment until he looked at Ginny’s face. She was still asleep but her face was scrunched up in pain. Doing a bit of math in his head he realized that it had been about six hours since her last dose of pain meds. Luckily the pain hadn't woken her up but they were well beyond the point of staying ahead of it. He got up off the bed to get the bottle of medicine and a glass of water before waking her up. Kneeling by the bed he moved a stray curl as he ran a finger across her forehead. The motion seemed to smooth out the grimace.

“Wake up, sweetheart. I know you're in pain. I just want to make sure that your concussion isn't worse and to get some meds into you. Then you can go back to sleep. I promise.” Mike watched as Ginny's yes open. They were glazed over in pain. She tried to smile at him but it came out contorted as the pain hit her full force now that she was awake. “Hey there, sleepyhead! Do you know who I am or where you are, sweetheart?”

Ginny just looked at him with a strange, confused look on her face. Mike initially started to panic thinking that her concussion had gotten worse. Then Ginny opened up her mouth and he couldn't help but laugh internally. “Lawson, are you sure you aren't the one who hit their head? No Rook? No Baker? Do you realize that you've been calling me sweetheart since I woke up in the ambulance? Hell, you've used my first name more in the last 48 hours than you had all last year. What the hell is going on with you?” Mike was laughing outwardly at that point. He always knew that she was grumpy when she's in pain. He's been her batterymate through her time of the month enough times. He's sure that he should just lie but it's definitely time to show his hand. 

“Would it make you feel better to know that I've been calling you baby in my head?” At her stunned look he continued. “I'm going to wait until you're not doped on on pain killers to have this conversation but I'm shaking you off, Rook. We ARE having this conversation whether we are teammates or not. You could have died.” As she opened her mouth to protest he interrupted her. “Your head injury alone could have killed you. Thank god you're hard headed. But the fact that you could have died put everything into perspective for me. We're doing this. Whether it’s just getting the talk over with or actually deciding to be together, we are doing this. Now take your pain meds like a good girl and go back to sleep. The nurse should be here later on tonight I'm going to get you something small to eat because you can't keep taking those meds without anything in your stomach.” At that, Mike rose from the bed leaving a stunned Ginny behind. 

Mike started down the stairs to fix Ginny something to eat when he heard his cell phone ringing. Realizing that it was still on the night stand, he turned back around to grab it just as it stopped ringing. Ginny looked downright apologetic and he couldn’t figure out why. “I would have answered it but it’s your phone and it was the security company. I figured they wouldn’t talk to me anyway.” 

Mike smiled at her and grabbed his phone. He quickly dialed the security company number and it picked up on the second ring. “Hi, this is Michael Lawson. You just called?” The man on the other end started to speak and Mike’s heart stopped. “Yes, Mr. Lawson, we were calling to inform you that we see an unauthorized person outside your gate. He's been there for about fifteen minutes. He's right near the code box. We waited a bit to see if he would move on but he hasn't. Would you like us to send someone out now?”

In a panicked rush Mike started running to his monitors. “No! Whatever you do, don't approach. I'm calling the police now. This might be a suspect in an assault. Just monitor that camera and call me back if he leaves.” Mike hung up without ceremony and snapped a quick picture of the monitor. He knew that Ginny couldn't get up to look for herself so this was the next best thing. Rushing back to the bed Mike showed the picture to her. “Gin, is this the guy who attacked you?” He watched as her face went ashen and her breathing increased in intensity. She was unable to speak so she just nodded. Mike grabbed her hand and called the detective.

She answered in the third ring. Mike didn't give her a chance to even say hello before he launched into the information. “Detective Gleason, Ginny's stalker is just outside my gate. My security company says he's been out there for about fifteen minutes. I need a patrol car here now to arrest him. Ginny has positively identified him so it's not just a crazy fan. My security company is going to let me know if he leaves before they get here.” Mike listened carefully as Detective Gleason told him to stay in the house. She must have known the murderous thoughts that were going through his head at the moment. All he wanted to do was run out there with a bat and show him what he did to Ginny felt like. He reluctantly agreed to stay in the house. It was taking all of his willpower not to just go out there. It wasn’t until Ginny grabbed his hand that he realized that he was needed inside the house more.

“He found me.” Mike had never heard Ginny’s voice sound so small. He crawled into the bed next to her and put his arm around her shoulders. Ginny turned her tear stained face to look at him and his heart broke for her. Steeling himself with the determination that was coursing through his body he tried to reassure her. “He did. But this time we were prepared for him. We hoped that he was going to slip up and he did. He didn’t realize how much security I have here. He didn’t realize that we would be able to get him. Detective Gleason said that there is a patrol car in the area. They should be here in less than five minutes. The security company is going to call me if he leaves. We’ll get him for you, Gin.”

Ginny smiled at him and let out a little self-deprecating laugh. “Well, if that’s true, then you’ll be rid of me quicker than you thought!” Mike knew that she was trying to lighten the mood but the fact that she thought that made him a little mad. “Rook, first of all, I never want to be rid of you.” Mike watched as her eyes widened before he continued. “Second, you still need someone to take care of you until your ribs heal. That someone is going to be me. You aren’t going anywhere for a while. You will be always welcome in my home. You have to know that by now. So no more talk of you leaving until you’re good and ready. And even then I’m going to argue with you to stay.” 

Mike knew that he was pushing more than he should be he didn’t care. He knew what he wanted and he would fight for it. He knew they could make it work. He just had to convince her of it. Her walls were high but he’d find a way to get past those defenses. His thoughts her cut off when he heard a commotion outside. Running downstairs to the monitor he watched as the asshole was being hauled into squad car. He turned the volume up on the monitor to hear him screaming Ginny’s name. His temper flared knowing that this man thought that Ginny owed him something. He quieted his rage by knowing that she is going to be safe for now. If he gets out, that’s another story. For now, she was safe.

Mike walked back up the stairs. Ginny was lying in the bed trying to stay awake. He walked to his side of the bed and laid down with her. Curling around her body, he wrapped a large arm around her middle. She turned her head to look at him. “We got him, sweetheart. You’re safe. Go to sleep. You’re going to be OK.” Lifting his head to hers, Mike kissed her forehead. She let out a sigh of contentment and relief and closed her eyes to drift back into slumber.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year!!! I'm so sorry that this took so long. I went into teacher hibernation mode this week. I hope to get the chapters out more frequently now that I'm going to be back into a routine. It's not super short but it could have been longer. Enjoy!

Mike watched Ginny sleep for a little longer before getting out of bed. He knew that there was so much to do now that her stalker was in custody. His first call was to Amelia. He knew that he had to tell Ginny’s agent what was going on. It also helped that she could spin the media in such a way that they could work the story in their favor. The more of a negative light they could put on the stalker, the more opportunity they had to making sure he was convicted. Whoever said that the court of public opinion shouldn’t be considered was a damn fool. Ginny was America’s sweetheart. If they could get the public against the stalker then it would definitely help their case.

Amelia answered on the second ring. “Mike? Is Ginny OK?” Mike smirked at the fact that she didn’t even say hello. “She’s fine Amelia. She sleeping at the moment. I just wanted to let you know that the cops caught her stalker. He was waiting outside my gate. Gin identified him and the cops came and got him. I think it’s time to shift the narrative, don’t you?” Mike knew that Amelia understood what he was saying. “Yeah, Mike. I think that if we send out the attack and the arrest we’ll be able to control the media. Plus, bad press for him should help.” With that she said good bye and hung up the phone. Mike knew that this D.B. guy wouldn’t have a chance in the court of public opinion once Amelia was through with him. 

Looking at the clock he realized that the game should be over at that point. He was shocked that they had slept that long but he was happy because it would help facilitate the next few phone calls. The next phone call he knew he should make was to Blip and Evelyn. He knew that they would spring into action and head over. He figured he should just get that one over with since he’d have time to call everyone else while they made their way to the house. He dialed Evelyn’s cell and waited for her to answer. She didn’t disappoint by picking up on the second ring. “Mike??? Is everything OK?” 

Mike shouldn’t be shocked that everyone was so worried about Ginny but for some reason it did. It might have something to do with the fact that he wanted to be her sole protector. But it was nice to remember that she had a whole support system behind her. “She’s fine Ev. She’s sleeping upstairs. I just wanted to let you know that they arrested her stalker outside…” He never got to finish his thought because she started to scream in delight. “We are coming over now. The boys are at my mom’s so we can come over straight away.” Mike agreed because he knew it was going to happen whatever he said. “Can you still stop at her hotel to pick up her stuff? You’ll have my car too. Just grab it all. She’s going to be staying here for the foreseeable future. It took him less than 15 hours to find her here at my place. And I’m sure we’ve pissed him off since her relationship with me is the reason he attacked. I need to know that she’s safe especially if he gets out. So it’s best just to have it all here so she can’t argue with me.” Mike heard Evelyn chuckle on the other end of the phone because she knew there was going to be a fight as well.

Evelyn agreed to all of his requests and hung up. Mike considered calling Oscar to give him an update but he knew that Amelia would take care of that. Their relationship seemed to have moved from business to friendship with the possibility of something bigger. He was happy for Amelia and hoped that it worked out for her. Mike also knew that he would have to make an appearance at the clubhouse to update the guys directly. He was their captain and they looked to him for guidance and support. No, he will go in and see Oscar and Charlie tomorrow when he had the chance. He knew that he needed to call Detective Gleason to find out what was next for the stalker as well as what Ginny would need to do to help put this guy away for a long time. When she picked up the phone it was like she was anticipating his call. “Mr. Lawson. Thank you so much for being so diligent with calling us earlier. Is Ginny around for us to update her?” 

Mike knew that he should wake her but he just didn’t have the heart to. He knew that the meds she took earlier would have knocked her out pretty good and he also knew that she needed he rest. “Actually, she’s sleeping pretty soundly right now and if I don’t need to wake her I would rather not.” Detective Gleason made a noise in the affirmative and continued. “Since she gave us permission to talk to you I'll just let you know what's going on then you can tell it to Ginny when she wakes up. We picked up the suspect and he was quite uncooperative at first. It wasn’t until we brought up the fact that he was outside of your home that he got angry and started spilling his story. Apparently he’s not YOUR biggest fan. His name is Dennis Bryant. He has been on staff at Petco Park for about a month now. Apparently he got a job there for the singular purpose to get close to Ginny. It became a violent situation when he realized that she was rarely alone. While he admitted that he saw her with other players, he focused solely on her relationship with you. He decided that you were more than friends and it enraged him. It came to a head yesterday when she failed to interact with him the day before. According to him, you and Ginny were walking to the clubhouse after practice and when he tried to engage her in conversation she smiled and said hello but kept walking. He took it as a rejection and he snapped. He found her in the training room the next morning and he attacked. I’m sorry that he focused on your relationship. Just remember that it has nothing to do with you personally. It has everything to do with his imbalance.”

Detective Gleason continued, “We won’t need Ginny to do anything until tomorrow. We are going to have an arraignment for him then but we can’t do that without her positively identifying him in our presence. That means coming here. I know she’s in a lot of pain but it’s the only way. If anything changes, I’ll be sure to let you know. Do you have any questions for me?” Mike was too overwhelmed at the information that he just heard to have any thoughts outside his anger. This man targeted his girl because of his relationship with her. He’s going to make sure he knows that he messed with the wrong man. Mike will find a way to show him even if it means being charged with something himself. “No, I can’t think of anything right now. I'll have Ginny call you if she has any when I relay this information to her. Thanks again for everything, Detective. Oh, and you can call me Mike, please.”

“Ok, well, take care of her, Mike and we’ll see you both tomorrow.” She said it with such a definitive tone. Yup, apparently he wasn’t fooling anyone. And he didn’t seem to care anymore.

Just as he was about to go back upstairs there was a buzz at his gate. Looking through the monitor to see a woman in her late 20s or so. Pushing the button to talk to her he asked, “Can I help you?” She smiles into the camera and said, “Hi Mr. Lawson. My name is Eileen. I’m the nurse that the hospital sent over to show you how to change Ms. Baker’s dressings and administer care as needed.” As she said this she pointed her credentials at the camera so Mike could see them. “Of course, come up to the front door.” Just as he went to buzz her in he sees his car and the Sanders’ SUV pulling up to the fence as well. Mike knew that this evening was about to get more hectic. Walking to the door he went to open it and let everyone in. He wanted to get all of them settled before he went to wake Ginny up. He knew she was going to be exhausted by the end of the night but it was best to get it all over with at once. Smiling at the three people coming up his front step, he stepped aside and let them in.


	13. Chapter 13

Mike watched as his house became a flurry of activity. Eileen was pulling things out of her tote to show him how to rewrap Ginny's ribs. He wanted to tell her that he's seen more broken ribs as a catcher but then realized that he's never wrapped his own ribs let alone a woman's. He knew that he had to wake Ginny up soon but that thought bothered him. This was the first time since the hospital that she's slept soundly and he didn't want to disturb that. 

While he watched Eileen and her bag, Blip and Evelyn continued to come in and out of the front door with Ginny's stuff. He looked in amazement at how much she had actually accumulated while living in a small hotel suite. He'd never been there (for obvious reasons) but he imagined being surrounded by wall to wall crap. Knowing his girl though, she probably had everything organized and in alphabetical order. 

Blip and Evelyn finally brought in the last load from the cars and Mike decided that now would be the best time to wake Ginny. "Hey guys. Make yourselves at home. I'm going to take Eileen here up to Ginny so we can allow her on her way. Eileen, would you care to stay for dinner?" Mike was pretty sure that she wouldn't but it was impolite not to ask. "Thank you Mr. Lawson but I have one more patient to see before the end of my shift. It was very kind of you to offer though." With a nod of his head Mike continued, "well, let's get you on your way so you can finish up and go home." With that, they climbed the stairs to the master bedroom.

Walking into the room Mike saw Ginny sleeping soundly. It was the first time that there was no grimace on her face. Once again he hated the fact that he had to wake her but he knew that this had to be done. Leaning close to her head he whispered, "Hey sweetheart, I'm sorry to do this but you need to wake up for a bit." He watched as she struggled to wake. Once her eyes opened it took her a moment to focus on him. She smiled that little smile she had just for him. "Hey old man. You're not the only one that needs naps, you know." Mike chuckled at her. "Cute, Rook. The nurse is here to show me how to wrap your ribs and everything else I need to know to make sure you don't hurt yourself trying to be superwoman!" 

It was then that Ginny noticed Eileen in the room. She nodded at the nurse and waved her over to the bed. "Hi. I'm Ginny. Don't let the grumpy, bearded, one here scare you off. That animal on his face is actually a teddy bear in hibernation." Eileen let out a full body laugh and said, "he's been rather pleasant to me so far. He even offered to allow me to stay for dinner with you two and your friends. I'm Eileen by the way. How are you feeling, Ginny?"

“My head is still killing me. No matter what I do the pain is always there. Is that normal? I’ve never had a concussion like this before. My chest hurts when I try to breathe too hard also. Breathing has gotten easier though so I see that as a positive.” As she spoke, Ginny tried to get her body into a sitting position. Mike watched her struggling and immediately rushed to lend a hand. With a strong arm around her back he helped her maneuver her into a more comfortable position. Ginny shot him a grateful smile and grabbed his hand and squeezed. She then turned to Eileen who was looking at them with an odd smirk on her face. Ginny let it go because she knew that this thing between her and Mike was going to get out no matter what. She was too exhausted to fight it anymore. “Is there anything that you can suggest for my headache? The meds work for a bit but then the pain just comes back with a vengeance.”

“Ah, that’s an easy fix but you might need some help with that. Mr. Lawson, would you come here so I can you what to do in the future?” Mike moved closer to Eileen so he could have a better view of what she was doing. “Ginny, are you in a lot of pain now?” At her nod Eileen sat her up so she could reach the back of her head and continued. “Ok, what you need to do is place each thumb at the base of her skull. Have on on each side of her brain stem but not on it. It'll cause more pain. See where my hands are?” At his nod she continued. “Good, so you are going to apply a minimum amount of pressure until she indicates you can add more. Add more until you can feel the tension in her neck ease.” As Eileen continued to press on the back of her skull, Mike watched as the tension left Ginny's body. 

Ginny let out the most inappropriate moan that shot straight through Mike’s body. He knew that he had to move this along or he was going to find a way to embarrass himself in a way he would never live down. “Can you show me how to wrap her ribs now?” He thought it was a safer territory until he realized that he was going to be staring at Ginny’s naked torso. He was going to hell. That was the only explanation. Here Ginny was injured and he was having the thoughts of a 16 year old boy. Trying to pull himself back together he focused on the task at hand. Eileen asked Mike to help sit Ginny up further and he moved closer in. “Hey old man, sure you can handle seeing me half naked? Should we call a cardiologist first?” Mike chuckled at her. “You got jokes, huh? You won’t be laughing when my old man knees and back force me to drop your ass.” To prove that he was joking he kissed her forehead and moved her with care.

Eileen showed him how to correctly wrap her ribs to make sure that the broken rib didn’t shift. Eileen did it first then unwound it and made Mike do it. Ginny put her head down in embarrassment because she was so bruised. Mike swiped his fingers across one of her bruises to let him know that it was alright. Ginny raised her head up and smiled at him and he set to work on wrapping her ribs. He had to repeat it twice but he finally got it to Eileen’s satisfaction. Mike looked rather pleased with himself when it was all over.

“So, please tell me that I can get out of this bed for a little bit? I would love a shower and then maybe a change of scenery. And some real food at a real table.” Eileen agreed to all of her requests and asked Mike to leave the room while she helped Ginny into the shower. “But, I’m going to be the only one helping her from now on.” Ginny’s blush told him that maybe this wasn’t something that she had thought of. He could be professionally attached. At least he would like to think he could. Eileen let him help Ginny into the bathroom and then closed the door on him. Mike took the hint that he was not going to be helping more than that and left the bedroom. 

Walking down the stairs he saw that Blip and Evelyn were sorting through Ginny’s stuff. They were putting things in different piles according to usage. When he walked into the living room Evelyn looked up and smiled. ‘Hey Mike. We ordered Chinese. I hope that’s ok. We figured it was easy and it’s one of Ginny’s favorites. Blip knew what you normally order so we made sure we got favorites for everyone. It should be here soon. How’s Gin?”

“She’s joking at my expense so she’s doing much better. Eileen is helping her in the shower. That’s going to be awkward when I have to do that. But it’ll get done. When they are done she wants to come down and get out of bed. And apparently she wants to eat dinner at a real table. I’m not sure that’s going to work but we’ll all eat in here if she needs to be on the couch.” Mike looked around the organized chaos in his living room. “Ev, thank you. What you and Blip have done has just been amazing. I wouldn’t have been able to get all of this done on my own.” 

Evelyn walked up to Mike and squeezed his bicep. “Mike, we’re family. You, Ginny, our boys, and Blip and I. The six of us are family. When one of us gets hurt or needs us, we rally. That’s what healthy families do. Never forget that. Never worry that you’re asking too much. It’ll never be too much. You’ve been amazing. Ginny sees it. We see it. You need to see it.” With that, Evelyn walked back to the pile of clothes and found a pair of loose fitting sweats and comfy t-shirt plus some undergarments that Mike refused to acknowledge. “I’m sure she’s going to want clean clothes when she gets out of the shower. I’ll just bring these us to her. We’ll call you when we need help getting her down the stairs. Should I call Blip instead so you can relax a moment?” Evie knew the answer to that but she wanted to give him the option. “No, it’s fine”, Mike said, “just call me when you’re ready.”

Evelyn went up the stairs and Mike sat down and rested his head along the back of the couch. Blip sat down next to him, coming wordlessly from the kitchen, patted him on the knee and handed him a beer. “Evie’s right you know. You two are our family. Lean on us when you need to, man. It’s OK to ask for help. You know it’s going to get harder now that there is going to be a trial for this asshole. You’ll need to be strong for her. She loves you man. She’s going to rely on you for emotional support as well as physical support. You’ll need help with all that. Let us help you.” Just as Mike was going to say thank you the gate buzzed. Blip got up and went to the monitor. “The food’s here. I’ll run down and get it. The girls should be ready soon.”

Mike heard Eileen coming down the stairs. “Mr. Lawson, we’re all done. She’s going to need help getting down the stairs. I’m going to head out. Call me if you need anything. You should be fine. But I’m always on call.” Mike shook her hand and walked her to the door. Watching her leave, Mike turned around to go up the stairs to help Ginny to the living room. Once at the door, he knocked and waited to make sure he could enter. The sight that met him knocked him off his feet. Ginny sat on the edge of the bed facing away from the door as Evelyn worked her hair into something manageable. What caught his eye the most was the shirt she was wearing. A Padres blue t-shirt with the number 36 on the back was matched with the black yoga pants. Seeing Ginny in his number swirled up all sorts of emotions that he would file away and deal with later. “Hey ladies, food is here. Are you ready to head downstairs?” 

Ginny turned and smiled at him but he noticed how much energy the shower took from her. It was going to be a quick dinner and back to bed for her. “Come, I’ll carry you down.” Mike picked her up and she immediately laid her head on his shoulder. Evelyn went ahead of them to help Blip dish out the food. “Gin, Detective Gleason needs you to go down to the station tomorrow to identify the guy. It’ll be quick and then we can come home. But we need to get this done as soon as possible. Will you be up for it?”

Ginny lifted her head and looked at him. “I can do this. I need to do this. He can’t win Mike. We’ll go and get this done. Then I’ll come home and heal. Now, bring me to the Chinese that I can smell. You all know me so well!” Mike continued the descent down the stairs and brought her to the food that Evelyn and Blip had spread out on the coffee table. His girl was stronger than he could ever be. He also reflected on the fact that both of them called his house “home” without flinching. It’s going to be ok, he thought.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone. I'm sorry for the delay but I've been battling the flu all week. I'm just putting this out there because if none of this makes sense then I was probably hallucinating when I wrote part of it. Thank you for your continued support and enjoy!!

By the time Blip and Evelyn left Ginny had lost her battle against sleep. She had fallen asleep on the couch right after she had finished eating. The other three occupants of the room engaged in quiet conversation as they tried not to wake her. Finally Blip and Evelyn had to leave to pick up Gabe and Marcus. Mike walked them to the door and hugged each of them. “Thank you both for all your help today. I couldn’t have done it without you. I’ll let you know what happens tomorrow.” 

 

“Anytime, man. If you need us to come to the station let us know. The team would like to see her. If she thinks that she is up to it, let me know. We won’t crowd her, I promise. But they are very worried and they want to see her for themselves.” Blip knew he was pleading but he was the one fielding all the questions and he knew it would be easier if the guys saw for themselves that Ginny was going to be OK.

 

Mike contemplated quickly and then realized that it wasn’t his decision. All of that needed to be decided by Ginny herself. He would love to be able to take charge of it all to take the burden off of her but he also knew that she has had people telling her what to do her whole life. He wasn’t going to do that to her. “I’ll discuss it with Ginny and see what she wants to do. This has to be her decision.” Blip agreed and they both left.

 

Mike cleaned up the living room and put all of the extra food in the refrigerator. He knew he was stalling. He needed to get Ginny back up to bed so she can sleep comfortably. Walking to the couch he kneeled down and brushed the hair off of her forehead. “Hey Gin. Wake up, sleepyhead. Let’s get you back into bed.” Mike watched as Ginny’s eyes fluttered open and a sweet smile light up her face. Her hand reached out and tugged lightly on his beard in affection. Mike was pretty sure his favorite Ginny was sleepy Ginny. She stared at him unguarded and and with what could only be explained as love in her face. It was the first time that he realized that they were going to be alright...as long as they were together.

 

“Hey old man, I think I might need some help sitting up.” Mike could tell that Ginny was slightly embarrassed. He wished he could tell her that she has nothing to be embarrassed about. All he wants to do is help her in any way that he can. He wonders again whether she was allowed to ask for help when she was a kid. He knows bits a pieces of what little Ginny's life was like but every once and a while he wonders if maybe her childhood was lacking the same nurturing presence his was. He renewed his determination to make sure she knew she could lean on him. 

 

“Don't look so upset that you need help, Gin. I brought you to my house so I could take care of you. Why would you feel bad for actually letting me do that? Ok, I'm just going to slip my arm around you. Let me know if it hurts too much and we’ll try a different way. On three…” Mike slipped his arm under Ginny and gently maneuvered her into a sitting position. She let out the slightest of whimpers but didn't tell him to stop. He looked her in the eyes and she nodded for him to continue so he helped her into a standing position. Ginny walked to the stairs with Mike supporting part of her weight and offering support if necessary. Once they got to the stairs Mike bent a little and made the move to pick Ginny up when she stopped him suddenly. 

 

“Mike, I'm so worried about your back and knees. I don't want to be the reason you're put on the DL. I can try to get up the stairs. It might take me a little time but I think I can do it. “. Ginny looked genuinely concerned and Mike leaned in and kissed her on the lips without even thinking. She stared at him in shock and then the most luminous smile broke out on her face. 

 

“I'm already on the DL, Rookie. I asked Oscar and Al to put me in it until you were healed. I wanted to be able to take care of you. So stop complaining and let me help you!” Mike didn't give her a chance to contemplate the meaning behind the kiss before bending down, lifting her gently, and ascending the stairs. Once they reached the bedroom Ginny went into the bathroom to get ready for bed and Mike waited until she was finished to help her get settled for the night. Ginny exited the bathroom still wearing his number t shirt and he took it as a sign that they were heading down the right path. Mike got Ginny settled in bed and excused himself to get ready as well. When he came out of the bathroom he walked to the windows to draw the curtains and hard Ginny let out a laugh that he knew had to hurt her. Mike wore a matching Padres blue t shirt with “BAKER 43” emblazoned on the back. He too wanted to send her a message.

 

Mike crawled into bed and turned off the light on the night stand. A little bit of light snuck through the curtains and he was able to see all the emotions move across Ginny's face. Turning towards her he grabbed her hand while wrapping his arm across her body. “Are you in pain, sweetheart?” He analyzed her features to make sure he could see the truth when she answered him. “No, Mike. I'm feeling ok. I took my meds while I was getting ready for bed. I should be fine through the night.” Looking down at their intertwined hands and then back at Mike and smiled. “Mike, I think that we should have that talk now. Our lives aren't going to get any less complicated if we wait. I think it's best to have a plan going forward, don't you?”

 

Mike took the opening he was given and expressed everything he was feeling to her. “I want to be with you, Gin. More than anything I've wanted in a long time. When I saw you lying there in the training room my heart stopped. All at once I knew that all the potential we had could have been taken away from us before we even had a chance to be. I don't want to waste anymore time with you. I get your rule. I do. I get why you have that rule. But we have the potential of something amazing here. Why is this any different from normal people who fall in love with co-workers? I’m willing to keep it between us and our closest friends...for now. But I don't know if I'm willing to wait until I retire. We know we want to be together. We've talked about it enough times. We've been given a second chance, Ginny. I don't want to throw that away because we are scared.” Mike took a breath to collect his thoughts before he continued. “I know that you have so much more to lose here. But I'm not Trevor. If it gets out I'm going to defend you and us against the world if I have to. I've got a maximum of two years left before my knees give out. Please don't make us wait that long to be together. Please, Ginny.” He knew he was begging at this point but he was beyond caring. He would do whatever it took for them to be together.

 

Mike stared at Ginny hoping that she would say something. She was uncharacteristically quiet through his whole speech. He was worried that he overplayed his hand. He didn't realize that he was holding his breath until she started to speak. “Mike, I've literally given my entire life to this game. And look at what it's given me back. It's given me a handful of people that I can trust and the ability to school my thoughts to and expressions to give nothing of myself away. But I'll never regret it. You know why? Because for the very little that baseball has given me in terms of actually living, the most important thing it gave me was you.” Mike felt all the air leave his lungs. This was it. This was the moment that restarted the rest of his life. This was the moment that he knew that he had everything that he ever needed lying next to him in this ostentatious house. “I want to be with you. When that man was attacking me I thought I was going to die. I did. And my last thought before he hit me was that I didn't get to tell you that I loved you. And it seemed like such a waste. So, yes, I want to be with you. But I reject your other offers. I don't want to keep us a secret. We don't have to flaunt our relationship but I've given everything to this game, I'm not giving it us as well. If it gets out, it gets out. Just promise me that we’ll deal with the fallout the way we deal with everything...together. You're my person, old man. You'll always be my person. I don't want to lose that. So where's the contract, I'll sign it.”

 

Mike stared at her in awe. It took a couple of seconds for her speech to filter through his brain before he realized that she just pledged herself to him. She just told him she loved him. Everything that he needed was wrapped up in this woman and now they had the chance to be together. He didn't even realize that he was crying until she painfully turned on her side and wiped his tears from his cheeks. Ginny graced him with the shyest smile and looked rather nervous. Mike’s brain caught up with the rest of his body and he leaned in and gave her the sweetest kiss he could. What he really wanted to do wrap himself around her and lose control. But he also knew that it would be a while before she was healed enough for that. His beard scraped against her upper lip as he leaned his forehead against hers. Leaning up, he kissed her on the forehead and smiled at her.

 

“You're my person too. I love you so much, rookie. More than I ever thought possible. I'm glad that you don't want to keep us a secret. We’ll make it work, Gin. I promise. And we’ll handle whatever comes our way together. You're my family, sweetheart. One that I thought I would never have. You, Blip, Evelyn, the boys, you are all my family. And we will get through anything as long as we do it together. I'm gonna be there through everything. And when there is nothing disastrous to get through, I'm gonna be there through those times too. You're stuck with me. I hope you know what you're getting yourself into.”

 

Ginny laughed softly. “If there's one thing I know about you, old man, is that you don't do anything half-assed. It's one of the the things I love the most about you. So if you don't mind being stuck with me and my horsey laugh, I think we're going to be just fine.” Ginny let out a huge yawn just as she was finishing what she was saying. “I'm so sorry, I think the meds just kicked in.” 

 

“Go to sleep, baby. I'll be here when you wake up. We need to get up early to head to the per police station anyway. Sleep, Gin. Oh, and you give amazing speeches. I think I might let you take over from now on.” With a soft chuckle from her side of the bed she kissed him goodnight and turned again to get comfortable. Right before she fell asleep, Mike heard a soft “I love you, Mike" and his heart swelled again. “I love you too, Ginny.” Just before he drifted off to sleep one final thought raced through his mind. This was the woman he was going to spend the rest of his life with. And it was all revealed when they wore each other's numbers


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So, when Brooklyn gets nearly a foot of snow, you get a chapter with nearly 3200 words to it. I hope you enjoy it!

For the second time in a row, Mike woke up completely wrapped around Ginny. He decided that it was the best way to wake up. If he had the chance, he would wake up like this for the rest of his life. Remembering the conversation they had last night he was pretty sure that there was a possibility of that happening. He knew that he was getting ahead of himself but he also knew that he would fight for it with everything that he had. Looking at the clock he realized that he and Ginny had to get themselves up and ready if they wanted to get to the station at a decent hour. The sooner they got there, the sooner this could be over. He didn't want Ginny to have to go through the process of identifying the man who attacked her but he definitely wanted to see that man rot for what he did to her. Ginny was stronger than he gave her credit for. Hell, she was stronger than he would ever be. He was sure that she was going to be able to handle this whole process with more grace than he possessed. Now that they were together officially, he knew that he would have to hold it together for her even more now. He was thankful that they both agreed to not keep their relationship a secret because there was no way that he would be able to help her through this process and still appear to just be her friend. By the end of this whole ordeal people were definitely going to know that they were together. He knew it was wrong but that thought alone made him smile.

Reaching up, Mike moved the riot of curls that surrounded Ginny’s face out of the way so that he had a better view of her. If he had the time, he would let her sleep and stare at her for a while. This might be the first time since he met her that she looked so calm and at peace in her sleep. Being her favorite seatmate on the bus had its advantages. In the beginning it allowed them to go over hitters and it gave him time to get to know her. Once they became friends, it gave him a chance to know about her life and struggles. When she would fall asleep she always held an edge to her, like she was ready to spring awake in an emergency. He found out later, when they confided in each other, that she was never comfortable sleeping on the bus because of the accident she was in that killed her father. The last couple of days he had seen her sleeping with pain so she never looked comfortable. Now, however, she looked like she had found peace in his presence. It was like she knew that he was there to make sure she was safe and allowed herself to melt into the oblivion of sleep. Not for the first time since he met her did he feel honored to be able to watch over her.

Unable to resist the pull of her mouth, Mike reached over and gave Ginny the softest of kisses. He watched as a sweet smile came over her and lit up her whole face. She didn’t open her eyes but he knew that she was awake. There, in the quiet of their bedroom, and yes, if he had his way this would forever be their bedroom, he caught a glimpse of future mornings. “If I knew that this was how it was to wake up with you, old man I would have done it a long time ago.” Ginny opened her eyes and looked directly at him. “We have to get up, don’t we? I’m so comfortable right now, I don’t even want to think about moving.” He could hear the regret in her voice but he also knew it was a token complaint. He knew his girl was going to get up and do what she needed to do.

“I’m sorry, Gin. If we could sleep in all day I would gladly do that. Let’s get to the station, do your thing and get back. Then we can be as lazy as we want to be.” Mike knew that he had to go to the park eventually. He had to talk to the guys and he definitely had to talk to the front office. It’s the beginning of the season. He’s the captain. He needs to be there for the team but he also knew that being here for Ginny was more important. He just had to find a way to work both into his routine. 

“Mike, you need to go to the park. I can see you’re thinking it too. You need to go. I love you for wanting to take care of me but you have a job to do. You at least have to go in and talk to Oscar and Charlie. You also have to talk to Al to make sure that he appoints a temporary captain so that we they continue to function as a team while we are both on the DL. How about this. We go to the station, I sign all papers, I put this guy away for a while, then we go to the clubhouse for a bit. I can show the guys that I’m OK. I can hang around for batting practice for a bit and you can meet with everyone. The guys will make sure I’m alright. Can we do that?” The look in Ginny’s eyes told Mike that even if he said no that they would wind up do that anyway. With an audible sigh, he simply nodded his head in agreement. He knew that nothing he said would change the her plans so he might as well just go along with it. 

“This is how our relationship is going to be isn't it? You're lucky that you're damn good at speeches because I'm going to wind up doing whatever you want.” Mike chuckled. He knew that he would never be able to say no to this woman. He might as well just get used to that now. Maybe she'll allow him a say in the wedding or kid’s names (yes, he was jumping WAY ahead of himself) but he knew that the day to day operations of their lives were going to be run by Ginny. That thought didn't bother him as much as he thought it would. “Fine, we can go to the clubhouse. Let's get ourselves going and we’ll see how you feel after the station. And you know you won't be able to lie to me and tell me you're fine. I know all your facial expressions and tells. Just tell me if you're too tired to go. Promise me that and I promise to take you there if you feel up to it.” Mike took Ginny's smile as acquiescence and started to get out of bed. He rounded the bed and helped her up. As he helped her stand and walk to the bathroom he realized that he was going to have to help her get undressed to shower. 

“Uh, Ginny? I'm going to need to help you...you know.” He gestured up and down her body as if apologizing for having to see her undressed. If only she knew how much he wanted to see her naked. And keep her naked all the time. But he didn't want to seem like a dirty old man at this moment. Ginny let out a belly laugh as she grabbed her ribs in pain. “Captain, if you're afraid to see me naked this relationship isn't going to get very far!” 

“Laugh it up, Rookie! Am I the only one who remembers the dressing down I got for slapping that perfect ass of yours? I didn't want to be on the opposite end of another feminista rant!” He kissed her to soften the blow of the barb. She tapped him lightly on the cheek and leaned against him. “Thank you Mike. For everything. For being here for me. For helping me through this. For wanting to be with me. I don't think I could do this without you.” Mike felt tears start to form in his eyes. “I'm thankful we've gotten here, Gin. More than I can ever say. Now, let's get this over with so we can come back and sleep.” Mike helped into the bathroom and unwrapped her ribs. For there she said that she was able to handle it and she would call if she needed him. 

Mike ran down the stairs to start coffee and make breakfast so she could eat while she finished getting ready. He briefly had an image in his head of normal mornings where they are rushing to get to the Park for practice or to meetings. It then morphed into getting kids ready for school in the same manner. His whole outlook on his life seemed to have changed overnight. He knew that he was getting ahead of himself but these thoughts wouldn’t go away. And for once, he was just going to let them come and let it all play out. He was going to live in the present while he dreamed of the future. He knew that was the only way that they were going to navigate this whole relationship in and out of the public eye. 

He was just putting the finishing touches on his signature egg white and avocado toast when he heard Ginny call down from the bedroom. Walking up the stairs and into the master bedroom he saw that she had gotten herself dressed and she looked wiped out. “So, that was more tiring than I thought it would be. I can’t even tell you how hard putting a bra on was. I’m going to need you to wrap my ribs then the room is yours. I can probably get down the stairs myself.” Mike just shook his head, wrapped her ribs, and helped her down the stairs to the kitchen where he set her up with a cup of coffee and some breakfast. He then went back up the stairs to get ready himself. 

Once he was ready, he shepherded Ginny into his car and they made their way to the police station. He had phoned Detective Gleason on the way to let her know that they were on their way so they could be ready for them when they got there. He also phoned Blip and Evelyn to let them know that they were on their way as well. Evelyn told him that they would meet them at the station and there was no arguing with her. He knew that the Sanders’ wanted to be there for Ginny every step of the way and he wasn’t going to deny them that. They had been her surrogate family for so long and he knew Ginny would want them there too. Once they arrived at the station Mike helped Ginny out of the car and found Blip and Evelyn standing in the waiting area for them. They quickly came over and hugged them both.

“Hey, girl. How are you doing?” Evelyn asked. It was then that she realized that Mike was holding Ginny’s hand, thumb rubbing her knuckles in a comforting manner. “I see that you’re doing pretty well right now! I’m so happy for you two. You both deserve all the happiness in the world. We Sanders will be behind you every step.” She kissed Ginny’s cheek then turned to Mike. “If you hurt her, they won’t find enough of you to identify. Love you to pieces, Lawson.” Evelyn smiled as if she didn't threaten his very life.

Mike laughed so hard that tears formed in his eyes. “Don’t worry, Evie. If I hurt her, I’ll off myself. Damn, Blip, your wife is wicked scary!” Blip had the decency to try and hide his smirk. “Actually, man, I will be the one scattering your body parts. She’ll just be the mastermind. I’m going to be the brawn. Welcome to the family, Uncle Mike.” Mike gave Blip a bro hug and turned when he heard Ginny’s name being called. Detective Gleason was walking down the hall with a small smile on her face. 

“Hi Ginny...Mike.” She nodded at both of them and her eyes then slipped to Evelyn and Blip. Ginny smiled at her. “Hi Sharon, these are my friends Blip and Evelyn Sanders. They are like family to me. Is it alright if they wait here? They just wanted to support me through this.” Detective Gleason shook the Sanders’ hands and told her that it was alright if they stayed. She also fangirled a little when she shook Blip’s hand and Ginny remembered that she was a season ticket holder. “Are you ready for me. I’d like to just get this over with.” Sharon nodded her head and told her to follow her down the hall. “I know that I have to do this on my own but is there any way that Mike could come with me? For one thing I’m kind of nervous but the other is that it’s very difficult to move and I might need his support down the hall.”

“Of course, Ginny. It’s probably best that you have someone with you anyway. It makes the identification a little less scary. He won’t be able to see you through the glass but it can still be jarring all the same. If you two would follow me we can get this part done and you can sign the papers and be on your way. I’m sorry Mr. and Mrs. Sanders, I can only let one person come with her. I would let you all come if I could but procedure prevents it.” She was apologetic but they could see that she would defend the procedure if they tried to argue against it. They sighed in resignation. Evelyn was the only one to vocalize their disappointment. “We understand. We don’t like it but we understand. Gin, we’ll be right here when you’re done, OK?” With that, Mike, Ginny, and Detective Gleason walked down the hall and through a door.

Through the glass window sat Dennis Bryant. He looked defiant and angry. Ginny gasped at the sight of him and Mike could feel her starting to shake. “That’s him,” she said in the smallest of whispers. “That’s the man who attacked me in the training room. Oh god! That’s him.” Mike could sense that Ginny was on the verge of a panic attack and immediately went into combat mode. “It’s alright, Rookie. He can’t see you. He can’t hear you. He’ll never touch you again. Breathe for me, baby. Focus on my voice and take a deep breath. Good, and out. Take another. Good, girl.” Mike could feel the tension start to leave her body and when she looked him in the eyes she seemed less fearful. Mike stole a glance at Detective Gleason and saw an odd look on her face. Then it bloomed into a knowing smile. He realized then that he had called her baby. Crap, this whole not flaunting their relationship wasn’t going so well, now was it? Oh well, they’ll just have to deal with the fallout.

“OK, Ginny,” Detective Gleason directed at her, “now that you’ve made a positive identification all we need you to do is sign these documents and we can get him in front of a judge. You will probably have to testify against him in court but we’ve got some time before trial. With any luck we can get him remanded without bail so you can heal in peace. Just sign here and here and you are free to go.” Detective Gleason pointed to the spots on the documents where she would have to sign and she did so. “Great. Thank you so much for coming down here. I know how much pain you must be in. Go on home and get some rest. We’ll be in touch once the hearing is over.” With that, Mike and Ginny were escorted out of the room. Ginny turned slightly and saw that Bryant was being lead out of the room in handcuffs. 

Just as they entered the hallway, they both heard her stalker screaming out to her. “YOU WILL NOT BE HIS WHORE, GINNY! YOU’RE MINE! DO YOU HEAR ME? YOU’RE MINE!! WE’LL BE TOGETHER!!!” Ginny watched Mike’s face turn beet red and he looked at her right before he tore off down the hallway. Disregarding the officer that was escorting him, Mike pushed Bryant up against the wall. His meaty forearm was pushed up against the stalker’s windpipe. He could hear Ginny screaming his name and felt Blip come up next to him but he was beyond caring. He was right up in his face that he could smell Bryant’s breath. Blip was grabbing at his arm as Bryant’s face began to go purple from lack of oxygen.

“You listen to me, asshole. I’m only going to say this once. You come near her...ever again and I will end you. I don’t care the consequences, I will kill you. You don’t get to breathe near her. Hell, you don’t even get to think about her. You are nothing to her and you never will be. You try again and I’ll be there waiting for you. You understand?” Bryant let out a single wheeze that he took as an affirmative answer. Blip was finally able to dislodge his arm and he looked at the officer who blindly turned away from the scene. Apparently you don’t get to attack Ginny Baker in San Diego and get away with it. Mike was extremely lucky that his girl was America’s Sweetheart.

The officer lead Bryant down the hall and Mike and Blip went in the opposite direction. Ginny stared at him with wide eyes and tears running down her cheeks. Mike walked up to her and wrapped her in a loose hug in deference to her bruised body. When he pulled back, she continued to just stare at him. “Come on, sweetheart. If you’re up to it we can go to the clubhouse now.” He wrapped his arm around her waist and lead her out of the station with the Sanders’ following them. 

Ginny laid her head on his shoulders and whispered, “You’re pretty scary when you’re angry. I’m very glad that you’re on my side. Just remind me to never leave towels on the floor at home or something. I don’t think that’s the Mike Lawson Experience I want. I love you, old man, so much.” Mike turned his head and kissed her softly on the forehead. “He doesn’t get to threaten what’s mine. He doesn’t get to threaten my future and get away with it. I love you too, Rookie. I’ll always be there to protect you. I promise you that.” And with that, they got into the car and headed to the clubhouse.


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for the delay. I have no other excuse but writer's block. It plays out in my head, just not in words. I hope you enjoy.

The drive over to the clubhouse was slightly tense. Ginny was feeling anxious because the stalker now had a face. He was a real person who posed a real threat. She knew that Mike was going to be there every step of the way but she also saw how tightly wound he was and he didn’t want him to deal with the aftermath. She loved him for being so protective but what he didn’t know is that she’s just as fierce about it. She would do anything to protect him as well. If he could get into trouble then she was going to make sure it never got to that point. She could see him seething in the driver’s seat. She could see him running through scenarios in his head. She knew that look from going through possible complications on the mound. She could tell that he was planning Bryant’s demise and that just wouldn’t do. 

With a slow, painful, turn of her body, Ginny positioned herself to face Mike. She put her hand on his knee so she could get his attention. He turned his head slightly to let her know that he was listening. Not wanting to distract him, she spoke very quietly, “Mike, are you OK? I can tell what you’re thinking. I don’t want you to use up all your energy trying to find ways to make him pay. Let the system do what it does. And if it fails us, then we can come up with solutions.” Ginny took a deep breath and continued. “None of those solutions will include you attacking him in retaliation. Baby, we just got together. We are navigating this thing together. I need you with me on this. If you get arrested or get in trouble with the team I’m going to have to deal with the realization of our relationship on my own. Please, don’t make me do that.”

Ginny saw a huge smile bloom on his face. He turned to her and chuckled. “You just called me baby. It’s the first time I got a couple-like nickname. It definitely does something for me.” Ginny stared at him with an open mouth and wide eyes. “That’s what you took out of my speech? Seriously, old man? Stay the hell out of jail long enough for my damn ribs to heal so we can have a real shot at a full relationship. If you get arrested before we can have sex I’m never going to forgive your thick, grumpy, ass. Is that clear enough for you, baby.” 

At that, Mike let out a full body laugh and grabbed her hand. Wrapping her fingers in his, we squeezed in a reassuring way. “Oh, baby, don't you worry. The moment you're healed we are taking a weekend off from everything. I might let you out of bed to pee and to eat but you'll be otherwise occupied.” He watched as her eyes went wide and processed what he was saying. “Seriously, Gin. I'm not going to do anything illegal. Just know that I'm not going to let him any where near you. If he even tries he'll regret it. I can guarantee that.”

Mike watched as Ginny nodded her head in agreement and turned his full attention back to the road. He knew that they had a lot that they had to talk through but he knew that they were stronger together. This was true on both the pitch as well as in their personal life. He had her in his home. He had her in his bed. He wanted to keep her there. If he had his choice she would never move back to the hotel. What he needed to do now was help her rehab to get her back on the mound. He knew he couldn't stay on the DL for her whole recovery. As much as he loved the other guys like brothers, there was no denying that he and Ginny had something special on the pitch. Everyone saw it. That's why there had been rumors of their relationship before there even was one. But he also knew that it was going to take her time to get back there. It was going to take her time to be healed enough to pitch. That left them at a standstill. But he also knew that when she came back she was going to be more determined than ever to succeed. 

As the drive went on, Ginny became more and more tired. She found it difficult to keep her eyes open and let a small grimace settle on her face. She tried to hide it from Mike but found that he was far too observant for his own good. Turning his head he took stock of her facial expressions. “Gin, maybe we should just go home. You look exhausted and you’re obviously in pain. I think we can wait a few more days before we go to the clubhouse. Please, let me take you home.” Mike was becoming increasingly worried that they had pushed the limits of common sense. Mike saw Ginny shaking her head. He knew she wanted to go to the park just for the normalcy of it all but she truly looked like she wasn’t going to make it. While he had to talk to the front office and Al, he could drop her off at home and then head to the park. He was just about to suggest that when she cut through his thoughts.

“Mike, I need to do this. I want to see the guys and show them I’m ok. I need to go to the training room and confront it. If I don’t do it now I’m never going to get past the fear of going in there. I need to do this. Please.” Mike knew that there was going to be no talking her out of it so he acquiesced and continued driving to the park. The traffic was pretty light so they made it to the clubhouse in about forty-five minutes. As they pulled into Mike’s designated parking spot, he looked over to see that Ginny had fallen asleep during the ride. She was still in the stage of healing that her body craved sleep. Once again he questioned his sanity for allowing her to go to the clubhouse with him but he also knew that if he had dropped her off at home that he would never hear the end of it.

Reaching over he laid his hand on top of her head and massaged it gently. “Hey, baby. We’re here.” He watched as she opened up her eyes and focused on him. He could see the pain starting to creep in and made the decision that they wouldn’t stay for too long. “We’ll go in and see the guys. I’ll leave you with them to talk to Al, Oscar, and Charlie then we’ll leave. An hour, that’s it. You need to go home and rest. Do you have your meds with you? I’d like you to take them now but I know how sleepy they make you. So, let’s get this over with so you can get home to bed.” Mike reached for the door and exited the car. He walked around the car to open her door and helped her out. The small SUV made it easier for her to get out the car on her own but he helped her out anyway. She gave him a grateful smile and grabbed his hand. When she didn’t let it go as they started to walk he looked at their connected hands and then at her with a confused look on his face. She turned to him with a smirk on his face. “No hiding, remember? I meant it.” He knew that he had the goofiest smile on his face as they walked through the halls of Petco Park but he couldn’t help himself.

As they reached the doors to the clubhouse, they could both hear the roar of activity inside. Apparently they made it there just as batting practice was over. It would make for an easier day since she could see everyone at once. Walking through the door the roar became dead silence. Mike and Ginny stood in the doorway. Mike had dropped her hand to allow her to go through the doors first. At the threshold Ginny watched in amusement as 23 men stopped in their tracks and looked at her in astonishment. Ginny gave them a little wave that was reminiscent of the one she first gave them when she was called up. This time however, the reception was different. There was a round of applause that went through the room and Ginny felt tears form in her eyes. 

Sonny broke from the crowd and walked right up to stand in front of her. “Baker, you scared the living shit out of all of us. You will not be her in this clubhouse alone. Do you hear me? Never. I’m assuming that Mike will be accompanying you for most mornings but if he is not available, me or any one of us will be on call. I never want to see you hurt like that again. This is not up for discussion. Don’t ever do this to us again. I want to hug you so bad but I’m so afraid I’m going to hurt you…” Ginny cut him off with tears in her eyes and leaned in to hug Sonny. He lightly wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. Sonny whispered in her ear, just loud enough for Ginny and Mike, who was standing slightly to the side of Ginny, to hear. “I’m so glad you’re alright, little sis. I’ve been so worried.” Sonny kissed her cheek and stepped back to allow the others space to greet her. 

“Mami, you shaved years off my life. We all agree to be on a rotation of protection. You’re going to be so sick of us. Please, let us do this for you.” Livan then went in for a hug. Surprisingly, he looked at Mike for permission. It was almost as a joke. At Mike’s nod Livan smiled and leaned in for a hug. Pulling back, he smiled at Ginny’s stunned expression. “What, you don’t think we know that you’re together? Mami, you’ve been dating without the good stuff since I got here!” The rest of the guys laughed and Mike and Ginny joined in.

“We aren’t hiding it, but we aren’t announcing it either. We are professionals. If anyone has a problem with us, come to us.” Mike looked around the room at the men that had been his family for years. He was happy to know that they had finally adopted Ginny as one of their own as well. “OK, guys. I’m expecting you all to watch her while I go to talk to the front office and Al. Keep her out of trouble. If you let her out of your sight she’ll probably end up on a treadmill. Gin, sit. Try not to do too much. I’ll be back when I can and then we can go home so you you can rest.” Mike looked her in the eye. She knew he wanted to kiss her but like he said, they were professionals. He compromised and kissed her on the forehead. With that, he turned to leave the room to find the big heads.


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So...I was supposed to have this written over the weekend but grading got in the way. That and I took the fandom of Tumblr's suggestion of Kulti and I spent most of my time caught up in it. I hope that this was worth the wait.

Mike made his way down the hall to Charlie's office. He knew that he had to get the technical stuff out of the way. He knew he had to talk time on the DL and what it meant for the rest of the team. He also knew that he had to give them a heads up about the change in his and Ginny's relationship. He wasn't necessarily looking forward to that conversation but he certainly wasn't going to allow them to talk him out of it either. He and Ginny had come to this decision on their own. They had the backing of the guys. He wasn't going to let the front office or the management take away his one shot at happiness. He would retire right then if it came to it. He knew that the front office would never force him to do that so he had the upper hand. 

Walking up to the door, Mike could hear Charlie, Oscar, and Al in the office. Apparently the stars had aligned because he could get this all over with at once and get Ginny home to bed. Knocking on the door he waited for permission to enter. When he had it, he walked through the door with more confidence than he felt. He knew that he was asking a lot by expecting them to just bench him for a couple of weeks but it was something that had to be done. He would rather be benched than be so distracted that he couldn’t contribute to games. He knew that was what would happen so it made the most sense to do it this way. As he walked through the door all three men stood up at the same time. Oscar was the first to say anything. “Mike! How’s Ginny? Does she need anything at all?” 

Mike smiled and motioned to the couch as permission to sit. Not waiting for a yes he sat down and leaned forward with his elbows on his knees. “She’s doing alright. She’s in a lot of pain but you know Gin, she’s not willing to admit it. She wants to get back into the swing of things instead of just resting. I think she’s starting to understand that she can’t be Superwoman this time.” The three other men in the room laughed since they could imagine what it’s been like keeping Baker still for two days. “She’s going to be staying at my place for the foreseeable future because she needs someone to help her heal. That’s one of the reasons that I’m here.” Mike took a huge breath in and started the prepared speech he had rolling around in his head since this morning. Looking at Al he addressed him alone in hopes that he would understand. Shifting his eyes to the ground he gathered his courage to relay his request. “I’m going to need to be put on the DL with her, Skip. I need to be able to be with her for a couple of weeks while she heals a bit. After that she’s going to kick me out of the house anyway. I’m going to be useless here until I know that she can be by herself without doing any damage. They caught her stalker so I know that she’ll be safe on that front for now but she’s going to try to do too much and I need to be there to make sure she doesn’t.” Mike looked at Al once he was done and was caught off guard by the look of compassion that passed over the Skip’s face. He knew. That was the only thought that went through Mike’s mind was that he knew. Al nodded his head letting him know that he had his blessing to go on the DL, and maybe for more.

Oscar’s voice broke the connection between Captain and Skipper. Mike was prepared for the push back so he waited. “Mike, I understand how rattled you were with her attack, we all were, but you know how hard it will be to have both of you on the DL. Not just for ticket sales and promotion but for rotation as well. You’re asking your teammates to pick up the slack for both of you. I know that they would do it in a heartbeat but do you want to ask that of them? Especially so early in the season?” Mike knew that Oscar wasn’t being insensitive. He knew that it was his job to look out for the best interest of the team but Mike wasn’t going to play along. He wasn’t going to let Ginny heal all on her own if he didn’t have to.

“I understand that this puts the team and the guys in an awkward situation but I’m not seeing the issue here. When Tommy’s wife went into labor he was allowed two weeks off to be with his newborn son. When Shrek’s girlfriend was in that serious car accident you put him on the DL for a few weeks while she recuperated; I’m not seeing the reason why I can’t go on the DL to help Ginny do the same. I get that it’s going to be difficult having both of us out but it’s only for a couple of weeks for me.” Mike was staring at Oscar and Charlie at the same time. He was imploring them to let him do this. If they didn’t put him on the DL he wasn’t sure what he was going to do. He knew that Gin would make him go to work but he also knew that there would be no way that he would be good for anyone. His mind would constantly be on how Ginny was doing at home. He needed them to agree to this for his sake as well as the team’s.

Oscar looked a little exasperated but he tried to sound rational as he spoke. “Mike you know that all of those circumstances were different. If I let a player go on the DL every time their friends got hurt we would never have a full roster…” Oscar was cut off by the bellowing laughter that came from Al. He and Charlie looked at each other and then at Al with a puzzling look on their faces. 

“Jesus Christ, gentlemen. For a bunch of smart ass executives you really are incredibly stupid. Apparently they don’t teach you to read between the lines in college anymore because this one is an easy one. He wants the same rights allotted to the other players when their significant others needed them. What Lawson here is trying to tell you is that he and Baker are together. As in they’re a couple. I, for one, am damned relieved because if I had to see you two dance around your non-relationship any longer I wasn’t going to be responsible for my actions. Watching you two has been exhausting and I am glad that it’s over. This way we can get back to actually focusing on baseball instead of, what did Anna call it, Bawson.” Mike was chuckling in his seat throughout Skip’s entire speech. He knew that there was a reason that he always came to Al with his problems. The man pulls no punches and sees more than anyone gives him credit for. Although he was a little confused and he had to ask. “Bawson? What the hell is a Bawson?” 

Al looked at Mike like he had sprouted a second nose. “Don’t you have the internet, man? It’s your ship name. Didn’t know that there was a thing called a ship until my granddaughter decided that she was one of the captains of yours. You owe her an autograph of the two of you by the way. Apparently the damn Padres fan sites have deemed you two the King and Queen of Baseball. They’ve been pulling for you to be together since the second start and your god damn ‘mic drop’ speech. Anna showed me something called fanfiction about the two of you. I’m scarred for life, just in case you wanted to know. I think the two of you owe me some form of therapy. The press is going to have a field day about this you know. I hope the two of you are prepared for that.” 

Mike was having a hard time processing everything Al was telling him but he understood the risks of the press. “We know. We talked about it. We aren’t going to keep it a secret but we are in no way going to be flaunting our relationship either. If and when it gets out, we’ll deal with it.” They have a relationship name? Really? That’s something he’ll have to look up online later. Maybe he’ll do it with Ginny so they can have a good laugh.

Al turned to Oscar and Charlie and continued. “I can spare him for a couple of weeks. I’m sure the guys won’t have any problem picking up extra time in the rotation. You can even call up someone if you need to. I would rather have him back when his head was in the game than taking up space.” With that he turned to Mike to continue. “I’m happy that the two of you have put us all out of our misery and gotten together but you need to know that the team has to come first when you’re both here. Leave the home stuff at home and we should be just fine. Now, if you’re here I’m assuming that she is too. I would like to see her.” Without giving Oscar and Charlie a chance to say anything else, he walked out of the room. Mike had no choice but to follow him. Al walked through the offices to the clubhouse. 

Mike followed Al through the double doors of the clubhouse and saw that Ginny was sitting on the couch with her head leaning against the back. He could tell that she was getting tired and was probably in a great deal of pain. Sonny was sitting on one side of her while Blip was on the other. Sonny saw Al approach the couch and quickly got up to allow Al to sit next to Ginny. Mike could see that she was a little spacey which meant that the guys had convinced her to take her pain meds. As Al sat down she smiled a huge dimpled smile at him. Al wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “Hey there, Rook. How are you doing?” Al’s face went through a myriad of different expressions until it settled on worried. “I was so scared, Baker. Don’t you dare do that to me again. I’m too old to be that frightened.” Ginny smiled a little at him and placed her head on his shoulder. “I’m sorry Skip. If it’s worth anything, I was scared too. I promise that I’m never going to be allowed here alone again anyway.”

Al shook his head. “Baker, I don’t want to see you in my clubhouse for at least a month. Do you understand me? Not one peek of you. If your bodyguard over there will allow us we’ll come to you. I might even bring you back some gnocchi when we are in San Francisco next week.” Al’s face turned deathly serious. “I mean it, Ginny. Don’t push yourself. Let Mike take care of you. Let us help. Please.” It was then that Mike noticed the way that Al was looking down at Ginny. He had the look of a worried father. Gin might have lost her dad when she was recruited but she gained one when she entered the big leagues. “I promise Skip.” That was all she could muster before her eyes started to close. Mike took that as his cue to get her home. With some help from Sonny, he got her into a standing position. “That’s enough excitement for one day, sweetheart. Let’s go home.” With a quick wave to the guys, he helped her out of the stadium and into the parking garage. He knew right there that they were going to be alright because they had the best group of men behind them.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm on Tumblr by the same name but I'm more of a lurker...


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